In The News

Strike Threatens Nigeria's Oil Production

Rory Carroll October 14, 2004
Oil production is at the center of current political controversy in Nigeria: The government has become rich from oil sales, while the majority of the population remains destitute. Trade unions imposed an oil workers' strike over the past three days, demanding that the government maintain domestic oil subsidies. Though oil production has continued during the strike, the major oil workers...

Buy Now, Profit Later

Elise Kissling October 8, 2004
Over the past eight years, German companies have invested more than US$9 billion in China, the world's largest recipient of foreign direct investment. Unfortunately, only six of the 23 German companies that responded to a Deutsche Bank survey claimed to be earning money in China. Last year, for instance, Volkswagen manufactured more cars in China than in Germany, but failed to turn a profit...

The New Yellow Peril

Oliver Cattaneo October 6, 2004
Responding to public fears about job loss, the French government recently announced new measures to prevent the outsourcing of domestic production. Opponents of offshoring, however, overstate its harmful effects, argues French trade specialist Olivier Cattaneo. For instance, in the United States – where outsourcing has become a potent political issue – the trade surplus in information services...

Turkey: EU Reports Pave Way for Qualified Approval of Entry Talks

Ahto Lobjakas October 4, 2004
For over a decade, Turkey has tried to force the issue of its accession into the European Union (EU) onto the agenda of the European Commission. With the recent release of two draft progress reports, serious discussions seem imminent. While the reports laud the country's social and political reforms, Turkey still fails to meet certain entry requirements. At issue are the country's...

The Price of Free Trade - Part II

Tom Fawthrop October 1, 2004
Instituted some 30 years ago, the international Multi-Fiber Agreement (MFA) set export quotas on all textile manufacturing nations. Some poorer countries, like Bangladesh and Cambodia, received larger quotas, which enabled them to attract foreign investment and sharply boost their earnings. Artificially protected from competition, they built their developing economies around the textiles...

States Pressing for Right to Set Shopping Hours

William Pratt October 1, 2004
Most Americans take for granted that they can stop by their local mini-mart anytime, day or night. Now, some German officials want their citizens to enjoy the same simple convenience – but not on Sundays. The idea of allowing stores to stay open 24 hours a day, six days a week represents one of the latest plans aimed at unlocking the legal padlock on German store owners. This effort, led by the...

Outsourcing Finds Vietnam

Keith Bradsher September 30, 2004
Three decades after the fall of Saigon, Vietnam remains one of the world's poorest nations. But steadily, it is becoming the next participant in the global shift of jobs to developing nations. Strong mathematics education and a loyal workforce have attracted a handful of firms to the country. Low wages are another primary draw: Recent finance graduates make little more than unskilled...