In The News

Free Markets Need Free People

Gordon H. Hanson April 23, 2007
Even as US politicians and consumers decry any illegalities associated with immigration, the US economy is hooked on the conveniences that accompany cheap labor. For unskilled workers, illegal immigration is easier and provides more immediate awards than legal immigration, argues Gordon Hanson of the Center on Pacific Economies. Rigid guest-worker policies combined with strict enforcement drive...

The Establishment Rethinks Globalization

William Greider April 19, 2007
As the US readies for the 2008 presidential election, corporate executives have divided into two camps for advising candidates on how to proceed with globalization: Supporting free trade without limits is Robert Rubin, former treasury secretary under President Clinton, and urging reform of corporate globalization and preservation of a range of skills is Ralph Gomory, a former IBM executive who...

Is France Cooling Toward Its Arab Friends?

Pascal Boniface April 18, 2007
During the Cold War, France emerged as a Western advocate for the interests of the Arab world. Although conventional wisdom ascribes this special relationship to economic and political calculations, foreign affairs specialist Pascal Boniface argues that France’s motivations are more complex. A number of strategic concerns have been at the root of the French-Arab alliance since 1967. Good...

Managing Globalization: Has It Hurt US Workers?

Daniel Altman April 18, 2007
Workers in the wealthy nations like the US are not losing jobs to immigrants or outsourcing, suggests globalization analyst Daniel Altman in “The International Herald Tribune.” However, intense competition among global labor markets, along with rising health-care costs in the US, could be keeping the lid on wages. “The largest cost isn't those who lose their jobs but those who have lower...

India’s Skills Famine

James Surowiecki April 18, 2007
Entrepreneurship in India has captured the attention of onlookers around the world. But despite many success stories, the world’s second most populated nation has run into a big challenge – a shortage of skilled workers. Education opportunities are limited, with only 10 percent of Indians pursuing higher education and 30 percent of the population labeled as illiterate. Yet “India’s impressive...

Let Pragmatism Rule in Indonesia-Singapore Ties

Sabam Siagian April 17, 2007
Indonesia is emerging as an increasingly prominent country in international affairs, but its interests may be best met by stabilizing its relations with regional powers in Southeast Asia. In particular, as Sabam Siagian contends, Indonesia can benefit tremendously by forging strong ties with Singapore, widely recognized as a modern economic force. Although there seems to be a desire to establish...

Romania, a Poor Land, Imports Poorer Workers

Matthew Brunwasser April 16, 2007
Foreign investors appreciate Romania for its low labor costs. But once Romania joined the European Union as of January 1, 2007, many of its young, skilled workers moved away to Europe’s wealthiest cities. As a result, some employers – especially those in small dreary factory towns – confront ongoing labor shortages. One factory manager in Bacau solved the problem by contacting an employment...