In The News

Unreformed, Unrefined, Unrepentant

June 20, 2003
The 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis seriously disrupted many economies in the Asia-Pacific region and impeded global economic growth. Governments and international institutions have since tried to draw lessons from that nightmare. In this article in The Economist, the author says that there is still much to be learned and dealt with, including Thailand's current problems with its taxation...

Report by the E.P.A. Leaves Out Data on Climate Change

Andrew C. Revkin June 19, 2003
Global warming has long been a hot political topic. In the US, the interests of environmentalists and big industry converge around this nexus, pitting the two against each other for political support and public attention – or the lack thereof. In the final draft of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s report on the state of the environment, the section on global warming has been...

Thai Biologist Strikes Blow Against Malaria

Pennapa Hongthong June 18, 2003
After more than 30 years of research, Thai scientist Yongyuth Yuthavong has discovered the enzyme that allows malaria to become resistant to drugs. Colleagues from the UK collaborated with him on his research, and Western aid organizations funded it at various stages. However, transnational support is not matched by big business interest. Large pharmaceutical companies – the primary purveyors...

Making Trinkets in China, and a Deadly Dust

Joseph Kahn June 18, 2003
The negative effects that unbridled capitalism can have on workers in developing countries raises the hackles of many anti-globalization activists. This New York Times article describes the severe diseases that Chinese workers have developed in the dreadful working environment of a jewelry company that exports its products to the US and other Western countries. To the author, these scenes...

U.S. Steps Up Pressure on Burmese Junta

Seth Mydans June 13, 2003
In an effort to support the opposition led by Aung San Suu Kyi, in the past the US imposed a five year economic ban against Myanmar's military Junta. But these tactics were inconsequential; Myanmar (Burma) continued to thrive through relations with its regional neighbors and $300 million in exports to US clothing and footwear companies. Following a recent attack on Suu Kyi and her entourage...

Easterners Fight for Shorter Working Hours, but 35-Hour Workweek is a Myth

Heidi Sylvester June 13, 2003
The already tight labor market in Germany receives yet another squeeze – but this time it's from within. East German steelworkers will enjoy western Germany's regular 35-hour workweek by 2009, but this concession has encouraged workers in other East German industry sectors. Metalworkers and electrical engineers seeking the same treatment have now resorted to strikes. This labor unrest...

Contraband Is Big Business in Paraguay

Tony Smith June 10, 2003
Many are skeptical of Paraguay’s president-elect Nicanor Duarte Frutos’ promise to crackdown on the illegal production and trade of counterfeit products. Approximately one-fifth of the Paraguayan economy is fueled by unlawful cross-border trade with neighboring Argentina, Brazil, and Bolivia, from where the 'knock offs' – anything from fake Marlboro cigarettes to computer parts - are...