In The News

Eastern Europe Becomes a Center for Outsourcing

John Tagliabue April 30, 2007
Be careful what you wish for, goes the old saying. People in Western Europe once grumbled about immigrants from Eastern Europe seeking work. But instead of people moving about, more Western European firms shift jobs to Eastern Europe, reports journalist John Tagliabue in “The New York Times.” The global outsourcing market is worth almost $400 billion this year. Eastern European nations like the...

China-Japan: Cautious Steps Across the Divide

Wenran Jiang April 26, 2007
While the Japanese invasion of China more than 60 years ago continues to cloud relations between the two Asian powers, recent diplomatic interactions also signal a beginning of reconciliation. With the rise of a new prime minister in Japan, Shinzo Abe, the two sides saw an opportunity to reverse the animosity that his predecessor had engendered with annual visits to the Yasukuni Shrine, where...

A Nationalist United States of America

Terence Chong April 20, 2007
Nation states should have more power than ever before in history. But global problems, from climate change to poverty, challenge the abilities of nation-states. Groups that despise nation-state control take advantage of any vacuum. Leaders of the nation-state no longer have exclusive control of mass communication, and the internet has shifted more power to anyone who can capture mass attention....

Managing Globalization: Has It Hurt US Workers?

Daniel Altman April 18, 2007
Workers in the wealthy nations like the US are not losing jobs to immigrants or outsourcing, suggests globalization analyst Daniel Altman in “The International Herald Tribune.” However, intense competition among global labor markets, along with rising health-care costs in the US, could be keeping the lid on wages. “The largest cost isn't those who lose their jobs but those who have lower...

India’s Skills Famine

James Surowiecki April 18, 2007
Entrepreneurship in India has captured the attention of onlookers around the world. But despite many success stories, the world’s second most populated nation has run into a big challenge – a shortage of skilled workers. Education opportunities are limited, with only 10 percent of Indians pursuing higher education and 30 percent of the population labeled as illiterate. Yet “India’s impressive...

West Rises in China’s Back Yard

Ariana Eunjung Cha April 17, 2007
Social mobility in China means more comfortable and attractive homes, and developers move fast to build homes and offices with a Western aesthetic. In Beijing, small housing developments such as Venice Aquatic City and Thames Town are modeled after villages scattered throughout Europe. Many Chinese associate foreign styles with wealth, and view their investment in such developments as a step up...

French Voters Fear Globalization

Angela Doland April 17, 2007
As predicted, conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal captured the first round in the French presidential election that featured globalization as a central issue. According to a survey last year, 64 percent of the French view globalization as a threat to their nation’s commercial autonomy. Yet the election revealed varied perspectives: Some candidates favored globalization, but with...