In The News

The Dark Side of Globalization

Richard Gunde May 26, 2004
Along with increased cross-border trade and transnational migration, globalization has also contributed to the internationalization of social woes such as forced prostitution. In this article, UCLA professor Richard Gunde reviews key sessions from a recent forum on transborder crime in Southeastern Europe. Sociology professor Gail Kligman attributes the region’s high incidence of sex...

State Department Rights Report Released After Delay

Salamander Davoudi May 18, 2004
The US State Department's annual report on human rights and democracy comes in the wake of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal. The controversial episode, in which Iraqi prisoners were abused by U.S. soldiers, has sparked a worldwide debate about the U.S.'s own human rights record. In fact, says Lorne Craner, assistant secretary for democracy, human rights and labor, the Abu Ghraib prison...

Indian Voters Turn a Cold Shoulder to High Technology

Saritha Rai May 12, 2004
In the last few years, there has been a lot of hullabaloo over the wide-spread benefits of technology growth in India. The recent outcry in the US over the outsourcing of jobs to India only furthered the impression that Indians as a whole were winners in this phase of globalization. However, as this article in the New York times reports, the benefits of economic liberalization and globalization...

India's Elections Expose Economic Divide

Gareth Price May 11, 2004
Results from India’s national elections disproved pre-poll predictions by ousting the ruling national coalition led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A few weeks ago, the results seemed predictable. The current government, successful in stimulating economic growth for India and promoting better relations with neighboring Pakistan, was expected to return to power. Low voter turnout may have...

The Indians Are Comin’

Sanjeev Srivastava May 10, 2004
Global interest in Indian economic and cultural practices is swelling rapidly, from the labor outsourcing debate to Bollywood film exports. In the United States, India is a topic for newspaper front pages, Indian corporations are traded on the New York Stock Exchange and audiences gather for the country’s art. Delhi is creating regional alliances with China and Pakistan, and all systems are go...

For Many in U.S., Money Talks Even as Jobs Walk

David Streitfeld May 6, 2004
Recent public debates on outsourcing appear to have borne little fruit or changed consumer behavior in the United States. Eighty bills regulating and restricting outsourcing of American jobs to countries with cheaper labor have been introduced in the U.S Congress and state legislatures. None has passed so far. At the same time, almost half of the Fortune 500 companies have moved at least some...

Think Twice Before Migrating - The Grass There Won't Always Be Green

Goh Chok Tong May 3, 2004
Singapore seems to be at a low point economically, especially as compared to the emerging regional powerhouses, China and India. However, urges Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, Singaporeans should not despair over the country's difficulties. With the brain power, technical skill, and sheer perseverance that Singaporeans possess, they can easily overcome the hard times, Goh says. Most...