In The News

Why Major in Humanities? Not Just for a Good Job – For a Good Life

Mark Edmundson August 14, 2013
As individuals compete for high-paying jobs, many parents and educators question the value of a humanities degree. Professors in the humanities defend the degree for teaching skills in analysis, writing and logic and serving as a launch pad to practical degrees in medicine, law or business. In an essay for the Washington Post, Mark Edmundson contends that the humanities – including the study of...

Afrikaners Reaping Colorado Wheat Threatened by Visa Cap

Alan Bjerga August 2, 2013
Wheat, like many crops, has a tight window for harvest, forcing farmers to move quickly before rain, wind or unseasonable temperatures strike. Foreigners account for one third of the labor force that harvests US wheat. Many small, skilled work crews come from South Africa during their off season to share combines and assist small US farms. Because wheat harvests are so mechanized, the small crews...

India Takes Lesson From China to Lure Workers to Garment Industry

Amy Kazmin July 30, 2013
India ranks as the world’s third largest exporter of garments. Government regulations once limited investment and factory size; with those lifted, some firms may follow China’s industry model by constructing dormitories to attract workers from poorer areas, reports Amy Kazmin for the Financial Times. “Despite the country’s vast, young labour force, India’s garment industry has struggled to...

US Tech Firms Look Abroad for Engineers

Kim Gittleson June 27, 2013
US tech companies have long complained that most slots in some US university math and tech programs are filled by foreign students, many of whom cannot stay in the country to work. The US reserves 65,000 H-1B visas for workers deemed “highly skilled” – covering not just engineers but teachers, telemarketers and outsourcing staff – and another 20,000 for foreigners with graduate degrees. Conducted...

Chinese Checkers

Nayan Chanda June 24, 2013
China, with double-digit growth in recent years, could be on track to becoming the world’s largest economy. But rising wages, possible real estate bubble and tight credit may hamper growth. The nation’s big customers, the US and the EU, have their own debt issues, and the domestic market cannot match their spending. Foreign and even Chinese investors worry about an authoritarian system that can...

Lessons From Dhaka

Nayan Chanda June 10, 2013
More than 1100 workers lost their lives in a Dhaka building collapse, and the target for blame is widespread, suggests Nayan Chanda, YaleGlobal’s editor, in his column for Businessworld. The apparel industry has long depended on supply chains, with large corporations seeking out low-cost materials and low-wage workers – at every link, managers compete, applying pressures to reduce costs and...

Limits of Saudi Oil Power

Fahad Nazer May 30, 2013
Saudi Arabia is facing multiple fronts for potential destabilization. A modern society and wealthy citizenry have depended on millions of skilled and unskilled foreign workers to build infrastructure and keep homes, banks and, restaurants running smoothly. Oil money is also behind tremendous investment in education and other social benefits. Yet fossil fuels are limited. Competition is keen as...