In The News

Capitalism: One Size Does Not Suit All

Pranab Bardhan December 7, 2006
Uncertainty abounds over the Anglo-American economic model that has held sway ever since Adam Smith. Excessive debt, growing inequality, increasing costs for health care and retirement as well as large prison populations in the US and UK have raised doubts about its viability. Many nations have sought to adapt capitalism for their specific cultures and needs. Scandinavian and Japanese models...

More Farmers Seek Subsidies as US Eats Imported Produce

Alexei Barrionuevo December 6, 2006
The US government has traditionally paid subsidies to protect farmers who grow cotton, corn, rice, wheat and soybeans, protecting those products against overseas competition. But with many more vegetables and fruits from China flooding global markets, US farmers who grow specialty products are uniting to demand funds for marketing and research. The subsidized commodity crops require more than 200...

Outsourcing Hits a New Class of Workers: Journalists

Doreen Carvajal December 5, 2006
Declining circulations and advertising revenue have forced newspapers in the US and UK to reduce costs – and some editors now look for low-wage, talented help in India, Singapore and other countries. Such moves may reduce costs, but could also lead to community backlashes and further erosion in circulation. Any employee whose work can be transferred online is vulnerable to such outsourcing,...

AIDS Threatens India’s Prosperity

Pramit Mitra November 30, 2006
December 1 marks World AIDS Day, and by some reports, the world’s second most populous nation – India – has more AIDS cases than any other country in the world. The percentage of cases in India, at 0.09 percent, is miniscule compared with rates of 30 percent in some African nations, but the size of the nation’s population – 1 billion, with two out of five people illiterate – raises concern among...

Energy Firms Come to Terms With Climate Change

Steven Mufson November 30, 2006
With Democrats controlling US Congress, many anticipate new federal regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Executives of energy firms have shifted attention away from battling the existence of global warming to debating methods for controlling the trend: taxing emissions, capping emissions and allowing firms to trade credits, or trapping and storing emissions. Many company officials...

Internet Extends Reach of Bangladeshi Villagers

Kevin Sullivan November 29, 2006
The developed world takes for granted the internet and its limitless spectrum of resources. Until recently, such access was unimaginable for the poor people of Bangladesh. Cellular phone technology has brought internet access to more than 100 Bangladeshi villages, with hundreds more internet centers expected to open by the end of the year. With the help of GrameenPhone, a branch of the Grameen...

Speed Bump at the Border

Thomas B. Edsall November 29, 2006
With Democrats victorious in the November mid-term elections, a disgruntled middle class expects some immediate protections on jobs, wages as well as health and retirement benefits. But the Democratic Party is divided about how to deliver economic benefits to workers: One camp embraces the economic benefits of globalization, and another group tends toward protectionism and controls on trade,...