In The News

Bush Covers Up Climate Research

Paul Harris September 21, 2003
In an investigation by journalists at the British weekly Observer, emails and internal memos have been uncovered that implicate President Bush's administration in deliberately covering up scientific evidence that links oil and gas emissions to global warming. For years environmental scientists have been warning of global warming, but the Bush administration has always insisted that the...

Many Small Firms Want to Join Exodus

Kim Sung-mi September 19, 2003
Fed up with their country's strict regulations and contentious labor market, many of South Korea's manufacturing firms are moving their operations overseas. China, with its cheap labor and rapidly expanding market, is the most popular destination for Korean firms on the move. Many manufacturers not looking to relocate say they are considering switching to the service sector, prompting...

China Joins the Global Economy - Part One

David Zweig September 15, 2003
Just over two decades ago, China was a vast, poor country whose centrally-planned economy offered its citizenry little hope for an improved standard of living. After a series of market-oriented reforms, however, many Chinese now regularly enjoy luxuries that were once reserved for the elite. In part one of a 2-part series on China's entry into the world economy, China expert David Zweig...

China Protectionism Equals Votes

Christian Bourge September 15, 2003
US Treasury Secretary John Snow's failure to convince China to float its currency has been met with dismay by the Bush administration. As American unemployment grows in the manufacturing-heavy swing states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, Bush is looking to place blame elsewhere before he has to compete in the 2004 presidential election. China seemed like a good target – the US has a...

In Search of a Grand Vision for World Trade

Ernesto Zedillo September 10, 2003
Agricultural subsidies are expected to be the main stumbling block at this week's WTO meeting in Cancun. As developing countries try to stop the agricultural policies that former president of Mexico Ernesto Zedillo calls nothing less than disguised "dumping", developed countries – notably the US and the EU – continue to offer only mildly progressive reforms. On the other hand,...

Protests Greet Yet Another WTO Meeting

Pranab Bardhan September 8, 2003
As the World Trade Organization prepares to meet in Cancun, Mexico, backers and detractors of globalization are clashing again, with each side claiming to represent the interests of the world's poor. Those opposed to globalization in its current form point to an increase in inequality and poverty in countries that have opened up to international capital and corporations, while supporters...

Cancun Trade Meeting Should Leave Investment Issue Alone

Susan Ariel Aaronson August 29, 2003
When the WTO meets in Cancun on September 10, representatives of the nearly 150 members will have a lot on their plates. It is their job to negotiate agreements on many divisive issues and to forge new trade policies on agriculture, services, and intellectual property rights to meet the needs of developing countries. These matters are complex and important enough to warrant adding another...