In The News

Globalization Anxiety

Lawrence H. Summers December 1, 2006
Despite all evidence that points to a robust world economy, many world citizens are anxious and distrustful of global integration and markets, reports economist Lawrence Summers in “The Los Angeles Times.” Conflict throughout the Middle East, combined with the inability of world powers to handle violent conflict or nuclear threats, contributes to the unease. But a major factor is that the middle...

AIDS Threatens India’s Prosperity

Pramit Mitra November 30, 2006
December 1 marks World AIDS Day, and by some reports, the world’s second most populous nation – India – has more AIDS cases than any other country in the world. The percentage of cases in India, at 0.09 percent, is miniscule compared with rates of 30 percent in some African nations, but the size of the nation’s population – 1 billion, with two out of five people illiterate – raises concern among...

Latin Americans Wonder if Democrats Are Traders

Sibylla Brodzinsky November 30, 2006
In an effort to keep good jobs in the US, Democrats in US Congress may push to change trade policy with the Americas. But that could result in job loss in countries like Colombia and Peru. Labor activists of both continents claim that many of these jobs are exploitative, but even so, the loss of steady work could result in economic instability, a spike in the illegal drug trade, as well as a...

Speed Bump at the Border

Thomas B. Edsall November 29, 2006
With Democrats victorious in the November mid-term elections, a disgruntled middle class expects some immediate protections on jobs, wages as well as health and retirement benefits. But the Democratic Party is divided about how to deliver economic benefits to workers: One camp embraces the economic benefits of globalization, and another group tends toward protectionism and controls on trade,...

Personal Misery in the Pursuit of Happiness

Stephen King November 28, 2006
Economic growth used to produce widespread wealth – and a combination of low inflation and unemployment once reflected a content and productive society. A widening income gap between rich and poor, in countries as diverse as the US and China, however, is producing large groups of disgruntled or worried workers. National statistics no longer necessarily reflect the mood of such citizens. Even as...

Secrets, Lies and Sweatshops

November 27, 2006
US multinational companies that rely on factories overseas often tout how their strict labor rules protect human rights. For example, Wal-Mart stops doing business with factories in China after four warnings on wage or scheduling violations. But factories under contract with multinationals have learned how to circumvent the regulations by hiring coaching firms that fake employee payroll records...

India’s Economy, Now With Muscle

Mark Sappenfield November 16, 2006
India’s rise as the premier destination for information-technology outsourcing has continued apace, since the government’s decision to privatize education ten years ago, marking the beginning of the Indian labor force’s scaling up. However, service-sector advances do not tell the entire Indian success story. Increasingly, manufacturing has become a rapidly growing sector of the economy....