In The News

Outlook: Outsourcing America's Future

Jodie Allen March 8, 2004
Most economists - including American ones - argue that in the long run, outsourcing makes sense both for business and society. In this online discussion, Jodie Allen, Managing Editor of US News & World Report, challenges this long held economic assumption. While recognizing some of the positive aspects of outsourcing (e.g., cheaper consumer goods), she points to a recent US Labor Department...

Party's Over

Reem Nafie March 8, 2004
On January 1, 2004, the Egyptian government stopped granting foreign belly dancers licenses to dance within the nation. Claiming that the national dance was being appropriated by foreigners, the Ministry of Labor says it moved to alleviate Egyptian unemployment in the dancing industry. Belly dancing was invented in Egypt and has historically been a national art form, being performed at top...

Protectionism Hurts US Schools

Amity Shlaes March 7, 2004
In America's 'panic' over outsourcing, says this opinion piece in the Financial Times, education is a key factor that has received little attention. For too long, says Amity Shlaes, the US public education system has been coddled and protected from competition. American students' poor showing on international educational assessments is the result of decades of decline. The...

Outsourcing Is Becoming a Harder Sell in the U.S.

Eduardo Porter March 6, 2004
While white-collar American workers fret over the possibility that their jobs will be outsourced and politicians call for more restrictions on offshoring, even some US business owners fear that outsourcing may ultimately be to their detriment. According to a recent study, 80 percent of senior executives believe that outsourcing is good for the global economy. Yet only 58 percent of American...

Hungary Eager and Uneasy Over New Status

Mark Landler March 5, 2004
Poised to join the European Union (EU) in May, Hungary anticipates a larger share of the global trade pie. During the 1990's Hungary served as a "backdoor to Europe" for U.S companies, and now it hopes to market this role to Chinese companies that wish to sell to Europe – they could avoid costly import duties by producing all or a large part of their products within the expanded...

Small and Smaller

Thomas L. Friedman March 4, 2004
Falling transportation and telecommunications costs have taken the world from a "size large" to a "size small," according to New York Times Foreign Affairs Columnist Thomas Friedman. But the most recent globalization phenomenon, he argues, has shrunk the world to a "size tiny." The worldwide proliferation of personal computers and the bandwidth and common software...

Moments Before the Union, "Old" Europe Gets Cold Feet

Shada Islam March 3, 2004
As Europe's leaders prepare for their expansion party, they fear immigrant gate-crashers. Shada Islam notes that widespread fears of immigrants flooding Western Europe in search of employment, welfare, and health benefits has forced many governments to enact restrictions to stem this supposed flood. But the facts prove that these fears are unfounded. Past history shows immigration slows once...