In The News

EU Immigration Plans Arouse Debate in Germany

Carola Schlagheck June 20, 2003
Immigration policy is dividing Germany and temporarily stalling the ratification of the European Union’s constitution. Though German Chancellor Schröder supports the draft, his government is deeply divided over two immigration-related proposals – the Greek plan to harmonize immigration and asylum within the EU and the transition to majority voting on certain issues. Opponents of the plan like...

Carmakers Around World Are Turning to India for Parts

Saritha Rai June 20, 2003
India’s auto parts industry is finding new success as global carmakers struggle to find low-cost, high-quality parts. It is these two qualifications that give India, with its cheap skilled workers and locally produced raw materials, an edge over other developing economies. But although the industry is growing rapidly within the country, problems remain. Competition from other South Asian...

Making Trinkets in China, and a Deadly Dust

Joseph Kahn June 18, 2003
The negative effects that unbridled capitalism can have on workers in developing countries raises the hackles of many anti-globalization activists. This New York Times article describes the severe diseases that Chinese workers have developed in the dreadful working environment of a jewelry company that exports its products to the US and other Western countries. To the author, these scenes...

Demos, GOP Joust to Frame a New Policy on Immigration

Gary Martin June 17, 2003
In 2001, illegal immigration came to national attention in the US as the Bush administration began reviewing a proposal for immigration reform that would have permitted illegal workers to remain employed in the US. After Sept. 11, however, Washington's attention turned to security issues, and the proposal was dropped. Now, with the promise of a significant Hispanic electorate in the 2004 US...

Immigrants Here in Record Numbers

Oscar Avila June 16, 2003
The face of the American Midwest is changing. In the past decade, large groups of immigrants have moved into the Chicago metropolitan area. People are coming from around the world, but the largest group has been Mexicans, many of whom are undocumented and poorly educated. Despite their illegal status, these immigrants have made contributions to the economy and reversed Chicago's population...

Showdown for a Tool in Human Rights Lawsuits

Alex Markels June 15, 2003
Multinational corporations (MNCs) are often subject to accusations by human rights and anti-globalization activists. To add to a long list of MNCs brought before US courts, energy giant Unocal currently faces a lawsuit filed by villagers from southeastern Myanmar, in a California court. Unocal is accused of aiding military authorities in Myanmar (Burma) in human rights abuses against local...

Easterners Fight for Shorter Working Hours, but 35-Hour Workweek is a Myth

Heidi Sylvester June 13, 2003
The already tight labor market in Germany receives yet another squeeze – but this time it's from within. East German steelworkers will enjoy western Germany's regular 35-hour workweek by 2009, but this concession has encouraged workers in other East German industry sectors. Metalworkers and electrical engineers seeking the same treatment have now resorted to strikes. This labor unrest...