In The News

“Silent Night” in China

Peter Kwong December 20, 2007
During the 1980s, Christmas in China was a quiet affair, celebrated only by foreigners, as the atheist Communist Party did not endorse such celebrations. But much has changed for the factory to the world: China not only manufactures about 80 percent of all Christmas paraphernalia, but also purchases the items as well. Authors Peter Kwong and Dušanka Miščević point out that if orders on Christmas...

The End of Globalization?

Gabor Steingart December 12, 2007
Doubts expressed out loud can spur major movements. Such doubts about globalization are emerging in the US presidential campaign, as candidates question whether free trade is a source of the nation’s wealth or economic woes. Since World War II, US presidents supported a philosophy of free trade for spreading wealth and other benefits. “America's enormous trade deficit – and that in a country...

A World of People on the Move

Antonio Guterres December 3, 2007
No community or country can control the human urge to improve one’s situation. The 21st century will become the century of migration, suggests Antonio Guterres, UN High Commissioner of Refugees. People have long had many reasons for migrating from a birthplace to another part of the world – and the century will undoubtedly deliver more: work opportunities, war, climate change, natural disasters....

The Next Wave of Globalization: Offshoring R&D to India and China

Stephanie Overby November 27, 2007
Outsourcing accelerates globalization, spreading technology and skill transfer from advanced nations to less developed ones. Cheap labor represents potential talent, capabilities, and innovation. Employers praise US workers for superior communication skills and intuitive understanding of US businesses, but continue to shift technologically-demanding high-end R&D jobs to China and India. The...

The Global Poverty Trap

Robert J. Samuelson November 27, 2007
Prior to 1800, Asia and Europe enjoyed similar technological capabilities and advances, but economies were generally stagnant. After 1800, the Industrial Revolution gave England a decided competitive edge. A supportive culture, not religion, was a factor behind that surge of innovation, theorizes Gergory Clark, author of “A Farewell to Arms: A Brief Economic History of the World.” Middle-class...

Why We Trade

Russell Roberts November 19, 2007
Debates featuring US presidential hopefuls feature complaints about trade deficits, outsourcing and the competitive threat of China. Author and professor Russell Roberts, though, offers the reminder that promoting foreign open markets and a protected one at home is no better than mercantilism. All countries are wary about such a strategy and won’t stand for it. On the other hand, free trade...

Cosmopolitan Masala: Diversity Enriches Us All

Philippe Legrain November 16, 2007
There is growing opposition in many countries to immigration, viewed by some as costing government treasuries and diluting national cultures. Philippe Legrain, a British economist and former adviser to the director-general of the World Trade Organization, argues that productivity flourishes in culturally diverse cities and that people are willing to pay to live and work in such fertile...