In The News

Difficult Times for Coffee Industry as Demand Falls

Tony Smith November 25, 2003
The international market for coffee is not good for the world's millions of coffee farmers. Facing prices at a 30-year low and production increases that outstrip demand, hundreds of thousands of coffee farm workers in Central America and Brazil are being forced off the land or into production of more profitable, yet harmful, coca production. Some former farmers are moving north to find work...

Most of the World Still Does Without

November 25, 2003
The world's hungry and sick are more numerous than many may realize. In a survey of 38,000 people in 44 countries - a feat accomplished in large part thanks to globalization - the Pew Foundation finds that hunger and health problems continue to plague people around the globe. Even in the United States, the report notes, medical care is beyond the reach of more people now than it was in the...

Seeing the Funny Side of Islamic Law, and Not Seeing It

Neil MacFarquhar November 24, 2003
For the past 11 years, a Saudi television show has aired during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan that subtly and sometimes not-so-subtly pokes fun at the Saudi regime and the religious bureaucracy. Muslim leaders call the show religious blasphemy, while the show's avid viewers consider it a light-hearted portrayal of the truth of everyday life. A particularly controversial episode...

'We must build a global social system' – Bill Clinton

November 19, 2003
Nayan Chanda, editor of YaleGlobal Online, interviewed former US President William J. Clinton on October 31, 2003. The full text of the interview is presented here.

The Future of Migration - Part Two

Lant Pritchett November 9, 2003
In Part II of a two-part series on the future of migration, economist Lant Pritchett argues that the forces building up to another wave of mass migration face opposition in the form of ideas. Simply put, he says, "the primary reason there is not more migration is that the citizens of the industrialized world don't want it." People in the industrialized world - the main...

Healthy Dose of Capitalism?

Fatemah Farag November 7, 2003
Occupational hazards are a global problem. The International Labor Organization estimates that two million women and men die as a result of occupational accidents and work-related diseases each year, eliminating four percent of the world's GDP. This weekend, a UN-led conference in Germany brought together non-governmental organizations, international businesses, and labor leaders to discuss...

The Future of Migration - Part One

Lant Pritchett November 5, 2003
Immigration is an issue that elicits heated views from all sides of the political and economic spectrum. In the 21st century, how might we expect our lives and societies to be affected by changes in immigration? In Part One of a two-part series, economist Lant Pritchett argues that there are five irresistible forces setting the world up for a new wave of mass migration. Topping the list are...