In The News

One World…Many, Many Government Policies

Irwin M. Stelzer October 26, 2006
In a globalized world, corporations often pursue business deals in the countries with the least costs, not just from wages or property – but also in terms of policy regulations or taxes. Corporations look to low-tax nations to avoid all manner of taxes. And in some cases, corporations lobby their governments to erect barriers and prevent regulatory polices from other countries creeping into their...

Panama Votes to Expand its Canal

October 25, 2006
With expanding global trade, container ships have more than doubled in size. To accommodate the massive ships, Panamanians approved the addition of a third navigational channel and construction of larger locks for the canal that crosses their country. The extra channel might also ease congestion at the canal, where ships sometimes wait days to cross between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans....

Global Outsourcing on Wane

Ashley Seager October 24, 2006
Companies have pushed the pause button outsourcing – despite dire predictions of thousands of jobs moving from developed nations to developing ones. Part of the reason could be politicians taking a protectionist stance in campaigns and pledging to stop outsourcing. The index provided by sourcing consultants TPI, based in the US, analyzes the global outsourcing market and reports that the value...

The Globalization Index

Paul Laudicina October 19, 2006
The impacts of globalization and roads to integration are almost as varied as the number of countries in the world. “Foreign Policy” and the A.T. Kearney consulting firm have released the sixth annual ranking of 62 countries based on their degree of globalization. The analysis focuses on categories of economic integration, personal contact, technological connectivity and political engagement....

Out of India, A “Third Wave of Globalization” Emerges

Anand Giridharadas October 19, 2006
India has become a source of companies with cash, capable of major takeovers that shake up world industries. Tata – unknown throughout much of the Western world – could become such a global giant with its $10 million bid to purchase Cours Group, a British-Dutch steelmaker. The trend is the “third wave of globalization,” according to one analyst. The first wave was colonialism and the second was...

Social Networking Sites Keep Their Local Flavor as They Go Global

James Shih October 18, 2006
Internet social-networking sites pop up regionally, but quickly gather members around the globe. Sites like MySpace and Facebook started the online friendship-tracking trend in the US, and similar sites have emerged in South Korea, Australia, Germany and elsewhere. Regional online sites can quickly acquire global stature, analysts suggest. "The majority of large Internet companies in the US...

Indispensable Old Media

Susan D. Moeller October 12, 2006
Communications technology has made information exchange more widespread than ever before. Consumers are able to choose between endless sources, rendering the passive absorption of filtered knowledge obsolete. The rise of new media, however, has not diminished the importance of investigative reporters researching stories for more traditional media. Journalists still make criminals and corrupt...