In The News

Rising Trade, Abundance Should Benefit All

David Crane September 12, 2006
Global competition provides the benefit of low-priced goods for the poorest citizens of the world and also has provided jobs that have lifted millions of people from poverty. But globalization has also meant lost jobs, benefits or security for other people. The challenge for policymakers throughout the world is to ensure that globalization’s benefits are widely shared, according to Ben Bernanke,...

Losing the War on Terror

Ahmed Rashid September 11, 2006
Extremists continue to demonstrate that they can thwart the technological superiority of the modern world. The radicals may not gain much in the way of territory or even converts to their cause, but they certainly needle world leaders and instigate fear among substantial segments of populations of the most comfortable nations in the world. The guerilla fighters hide among civilians, thus...

Chávez-China Oil Deal May Produce Unsuspected Winners

Trevor Houser September 7, 2006
The Venezuelan president announced plans to increase oil exports to China tenfold over the next five years, with the expectation that China will invest in the nation’s oil infrastructure, particularly in developing the reserves of the Orinoco Belt. The heavy tar-like reserves, which require special technology to extract, amount to about 20 percent of the global oil supply. But any agreement...

Managing Globalization: Reducing Inequality – It's Not So Simple

Daniel Altman September 7, 2006
It’s only because of inequalities of wealth or skills that people, products and ideas shift around the globe. Such shifts influence individual communities with increases or decreases in jobs, crime or education – either reducing or exacerbating the inequality. Economists suggest that increased trade should reduce inequality at all income levels. But instead, author Daniel Altman argues, the major...

To Give Children an Edge, Au Pairs From China

Gina Bellafante September 7, 2006
Until 2004, the 20-year old agency called Au Pair in America had received zero requests for Chinese nannies. Since then, it has received 1,400 requests. The increased demand for Mandarin-speaking au pairs is partially attributed to the significant number of US parents who have adopted baby girls from China. The largest driving factor, however, is the assumption that the growing influence of...

Online Game, Made in US, Seizes the Globe

Seth Schiesel September 5, 2006
Almost 7 million people around the world join in playing World of Warcraft, an online game that offers true global competition. Developed by Blizzard Entertainment, based in California, the game breaks cultural barriers by appealing to a massive global audience and offering an increasing array of languages. In the past, popular interactive games attracted hundreds of thousands of players at most...

Why Globalization Is in Trouble – Part II

Branko Milanovic August 31, 2006
Globalization has spurred inequality – both among citizens in the wealthiest countries as well as among nations of the developing world. The second of this two-part series by Branco Milanovic explores the growing resentment as only a few poor countries adjust to globalization. China and India compete globally, and yet only a fraction of their citizens prosper. Increasing inequality between rural...