In The News

America for Sale: 2 Outcomes When Foreigners Buy Factories

Peter S. Goodman April 16, 2008
The debate over globalization’s effects on the US economy has become a focal point of the presidential campaign. Outsourcing jobs is a major concern of voters, and with good reason. In Michigan alone, as New York Times’ writer Peter Goodman notes, more than 300,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost to foreign competition during the last eight years. Yet globalization encourages foreign investment...

The Age of Scarcity?

Chris Farrell April 9, 2008
The world is facing a surfeit of scarcity. The emergence of new economic heavyweights like China and India has increased global demand, even as many observers warn that past development has left the world’s resources dangerously depleted. These arguments, combined with alarming increases in food and energy prices, have led some to believe that Malthus was right after all: Economic growth is...

IT Workers on the Move With Globalization

Anthony P. D’Costa April 9, 2008
Talented professionals, including information-technology workers, chose to migrate for jobs and high wages. Such workers have often moved from developing countries in Asia and Eastern Europe to the wealthy developed nations, where graying populations and a lack of youth interest in mathematics and other technical subjects, created a need for skilled workers. But a new shift is also on, reports...

Time to Bury a Dangerous Legacy – Part I

Graham Allison March 14, 2008
The detonation of a nuclear weapon – intentionally or not, by state powers or terrorists – will produce no winners. The very real danger that terrorists could unleash a nuclear weapon in major cities adds new urgency to dealing with the gathering threat. This three-part series explores the consequences of nuclear Armageddon and explains why immediate plans to eliminate all nuclear weaponry are in...

Patriotism Is Bad Business

Nayan Chanda March 3, 2008
Politicians strive for policies that boost exports. Setting any limits on imports, though, invites other countries to retaliate. “History is replete with examples of economic nationalism’s failure to roll back the quest for profit and good life that drives global trade,” writes Nayan Chanda in his column for Businessworld in India. Democratic candidates for US president, hoping to win approval...

India Back In Global Chain

Nayan Chanda February 20, 2008
The Tata-Boeing deal to supply a critical part used in the next-generation Boeing-787 Dreamliner shows that India has a chance to become a key member of the global manufacturing network, once again. Given India's long history of participation in the global world, this comes as no surprise. As Nayan Chanda points out, if Tata can meet the challenge of the production, its reputation will...

Beware the Internet's Looming Class Divide

Johann Hari February 1, 2008
Instant knowledge and connections via the internet can allow individuals to make better decisions in almost any sphere. “It is increasingly clear that the internet is going to be a transformative moment in human history as significant as the printing press,” writes columnist Johann Hari for the Independent. While the internet allows for interaction, a researcher warns that the tool – relatively...