In The News

What Offshoring Wave?

Robert J. Samuelson May 30, 2007
The burst of technology at the turn of the century had pundits predicting that all manner of professional jobs – any position that required creating or handling data that could be transferred online – would move away from Western Europe and the US to India, China and other nations with low wages and plenty of skilled workers. Economists predicted that about one-fifth of jobs in the US could...

Strength in Numbers for Globalization's Critics

Christine Elsaeßer May 30, 2007
Criticism of globalization is commonplace, with calls to limit corporations’ power streaming from environmentalists, church groups, trade unions, farmers and more. Political scientist and author of Die Globalisierung und ihre Gegner, or Globalization and Its Critics, Claus Leggewie divided the critics of globalization into five groups: leftists and radical leftists, the academic left, reformers...

Drop in Students Abroad Threatens Japan's "Edge"

Crystal Wong May 21, 2007
A growing number of Chinese and Korean students attend college in the US, but the number of Japanese students crossing the Pacific has been on the decline for the last decade. While this trend can be attributed to a variety of factors, the most significant is Japan’s traditional labor system: Firms hire graduates straight out of college, offering them in-house training and lifetime employment....

Solar Flashlight Lets Africa’s Sun Deliver the Luxury of Light to the Poorest Villages

Will Connors May 21, 2007
Items taken for granted in one country can be a life-changing force in poor nations. After learning that almost one third of the world’s population lacks access to lighting, Mark Bent, a former foreign-service officer, arranged design of a solar flashlight, manufacturing in China and distribution of more than 30,000 units to Africans in refugee camps and rural villages. The flashlights allow...

A Book Review: Bound Together

Paul Freedman May 17, 2007
Globalization, the process of growing interconnectedness, is not a new phenomenon. All that’s new is the ease and speed of the connections. In his book, Nayan Chanda, editor of YaleGlobal Online, follows the exploits of historical traders, preachers, adventurers and warriors in shaping our world, and identifies their modern counterparts at work today. The categories provide insights into...

Wolfowitz Saga Exposes Structural Flaws of the World Bank

Devesh Kapur May 15, 2007
Reactions to the conflict-of-interest allegations against Paul Wolfowitz, president of the World Bank, have been muted: Europe won’t criticize Wolfowitz much for fear of losing its monopoly over the IMF; countries that depend on World Bank funding may regard the scandal as leverage against strict expectations about corruption within their borders; and up-and-comers such as India and China seek...

Calling India

Scott Kraft May 10, 2007
The word “outsourcing” may carry plenty of negative connotations in the US – but not when consumers are hunting for a good deal. Parents in the US, desperate to help their children achieve in an increasingly competitive global environment, seek tutoring services but don’t want to spend a lot of money. Using a voice-over-internet phone and an interactive computer “whiteboard,” a pupil in Beverly...