In The News

Can Trump – or Anyone – Bring Back US Manufacturing?

December 8, 2016
US voters and politicians worry about the loss of manufacturing and assembly jobs, which carry a wage premium over most service jobs. Yet numerous economists and other analysis express doubt that such jobs can quickly be restored in the United States. “The biggest reason Trump — or anyone else — can’t bring back jobs is because there is nowhere to bring them back from,” notes an article from...

Promises Trump Can’t Keep

Nayan Chanda November 28, 2016
US President-elect Donald Trump made big promises on trade and jobs that will be tough to keep without wrecking key industries along with the global economy. Essentially, he suggested that he could restore US manufacturing jobs by blocking new trade deals like the Tans-Pacific Partnership and walking back on old deals like the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement. The plan has problems. Such trade...

China's Shrinking Workforce Affects Economic Transition, Expert Says

Coco Feng November 23, 2016
The size of China’s labor force, including people between the ages of 16 and 59, has declined for three years since 2012. The total is 906 million workers, down from just over 910 million. The government anticipates the workforce shrinking to 700 million by 2050. The decline is especially sharp for semi-skilled blue-collar workers as more youth pursue college studies and prefer work in the...

Despite Fears, Mexico's Manufacturing Boom Lifts US Workers

Natalie Kitroeff September 2, 2016
Automation is transforming manufacturing, reducing jobs and need for skills. A Los Angeles Time article describes apprenticeships for young Mexicans working alongside robots in a BMW plant in Mexico. US presidential candidates question the benefits of the North American Free Trade Agreement, but many companies – including those from outside the US – are shifting operations from China to Mexico....

We’re in a Low-Growth World. How Did We Get Here?

Neil Irwin August 8, 2016
Economic growth increases wealth and improves living standards, driven by additional workers, work hours and technological advancements that increase productivity. But economic growth and income have slowed for the world’s most advanced economies, and the trends contribute to rising inequality and populist movements. Economists are trying to determine if supply or demand issues contribute to low...

Brexit: Boon or Bane

Nayan Chanda July 11, 2016
The British decision to leave the European Union is expected to shrink global economic growth. “This means that the contributions made to the global economy by China, India and other developing economies would become more important than ever,” explains Nayan Chanda, YaleGlobal’s founding editor, in his column for Businessworld. Emerging economies confront enormous challenges, as suggested by the...

Migration Trend: Young Move to Lands of Aging Rich

Joseph Chamie June 30, 2016
The world’s most troublesome borders for illegal migration have one thing in common – more older people on one side than the other. Large gaps in the median age on either side show a difference of 19 years for Northern Africa and Southern Europe, and 11 years for the United States and Central America. “Age differences between sending and receiving nations are a powerful force exerting migratory...