In The News

Differing Approaches to Immigration on Two Sides of the Atlantic

Michael Mandelbaum April 24, 2014
Politicians opposed to immigration are making electoral gains throughout Europe, and legislators in the United States are also polarized over immigration reform, especially the status of an estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants. Michael Mandelbaum, author and international studies professor, argues that “immigration has become a major and contentious political issue in the world’s...

The US Economy Grows, But Jobs Don’t

Ashok Bardhan March 13, 2014
The US economy is growing, but employment is not keeping pace. A reliable supply of natural gas and dropping prices, high-tech manufacturing, and big-data analysis offer economic promise. Technology of all kinds contributes to efficiency and productivity. Firms consider returning facilities in the United States – a trend that has been named in-shoring or re-shoring. Growth is losing speed in...

Jobs Across the Web

Nayan Chanda March 13, 2014
The tech industry is now changing the nature of outsourcing. Employees no longer must leave country or home, and companies can pay for the amount of labor they need. “Online portals linking a job seeker with a global employer is the latest iteration of an evolution of e-commerce involving products,” explains Nayan Chanda , YaleGlobal editor, in his column for Businessworld. “The next phase of the...

Desis Are Rising Up the Technology Ladder

Sujit John February 26, 2014
A high proportion of Indians are in top management of leading technology companies – including Google, Intel, Cisco and Microsoft. Indians are responsible for innovations like Google+, the Pentium chip, the USB and virtualization that made cloud-computing possible. The trend is to be expected: Many Indians obtained work visas and immigrated to the United States and other nations in anticipation...

Laos in Danger of Losing Jobs, Culture as Chinese Pour In

Ken Quimbach February 19, 2014
China is investing heavily in neighboring Laos, rapidly altering the landscape. “Across Laos, Chinese laborers are building huge malls, dams, factories, golf courses and airports, taking jobs that could easily done by Laotians,” reports Bangkok-based Ken Quimbach for the Global Times. The source of the critique is unusual in that Global Times is an international arm of the state-run, party-...

Where We Go From Here

Ernesto Zedillo February 17, 2014
NAFTA is 20 years old, and the trade agreement is assessed by Americas Quarterly, a policy journal by the Council of Americas, an international business organization. Ernesto Zedillo, former president of Mexico, argues NAFTA has fulfilled its promise of growth, employment and competitiveness. “Annual trade among the three partners has increased fourfold, and intraregional investment almost...

Cambodia Garment Worker Dreams of Better Future

Kyle James February 14, 2014
Bargains for intricate fashions so plentiful in boutiques around the world are only possible because workers in less developed nations like Cambodia endure long hours, with a workweek that encompasses six 12-hour days, earning less than $3.50 per day. “This exhausting regimen is a reality for the majority of Cambodia's approximately 600,000 garment workers,” writes Kyle James. He profiles...