In The News

Why Not Let Them Work?

Mechthild Küpper January 9, 2004
Germany's one million illegal immigrants are hard to typify, says this article in the F.A.Z. Weekly. Unlike the Turkish immigrants who are in the country legally but have not acculturated themselves to Germany, the author writes, many illegal immigrants are integrating well by learning German and seeking steady work. Workers from Poland and Eastern Europe, many of whom enter on tourist or...

Bush's Proposal for Immigration Reform Misses the Point

Andres Oppenheimer January 8, 2004
A day after US President George W. Bush announced proposed changes to US immigration policy, some are saying the changes do not go deep enough. If it meets with approval from the US Congress, Bush's proposal would grant identity cards to millions of illegal workers and allow them to continue to work legally for three years. The plans were announced just one week before Bush meets with the...

Even Labor Unions Can Gain from Free Trade

Tamara Kay December 23, 2003
In the long negotiations before the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), pundits, politicians, and unions alike predicted that NAFTA would bring increased animosity between transnational unions. They would now be competing for the same jobs, the argument went, and so labor solidarity will obviously break down. Instead, says labor scholar Tamara Kay, North America...

Sugar, Textiles Sour on CAFTA Deal

Jane Bussey December 19, 2003
US trade negotiators had no sooner finished closing a deal with four Central American countries when US textile and sugar industry representatives began crying foul. The Central American Free Trade Agreement would result in sugar industry job losses in the US, say its critics, and permit Chinese, Mexican, and Canadian textiles assembled in Central America to enjoy favorable import rules when...

Tailored Study Abroad Programs Boom

Choe Yong-shik December 17, 2003
With thousands of South Koreans studying abroad each year at all levels of education, the market to arrange such overseas ventures is formidable and competitive. Some Korean agencies provide guardian-like services for younger children studying in countries like New Zealand and Australia, or even combination English and golf instruction for aspiring professional athletes. More attractive,...

Deflating Bush's China balloon

William Pesek Jr. December 17, 2003
The Bush Administration is pressuring China to float its currency, the yuan, instead of pegging it to the US dollar. Administration officials argue that the yuan is currently undervalued and is thus hurting the US economy. This week, Alan Greenspan, the US Federal Reserve chairman, said that a rise in the relative value of the yuan would have little effect on US employment, as companies would...

An Ohio Town Is Hard Hit as Leading Industry Moves to China

Joseph Kahn December 7, 2003
Like many small industrial towns, Bryan Ohio has a few big employers. When one of them – the Ohio Art Company – decided three years ago to move its signature product line, the "Etch A Sketch" toy, to China, the community felt both the loss of 100 jobs and the loss of a community symbol. Etch A Sketch models used to decorate the town, but no longer. Due to "ineluctable laws of...