In The News

Extremism Isn’t Islamic Law

Kyai Haji Abdurrahman Wahid May 26, 2006
The Koran is clear: “Let there be no compulsion in religion.” (2:256). Yet the government of Afghanistan came close to executing a Muslim man who had converted to Christianity. Bowing to international pressure, the government ruled that the man was insane and called off the trial. The man’s life was spared, but using the Koran to justify the death penalty for apostasy in Muslim society remains...

India’s Secret Weapon

Richard Wilder May 25, 2006
Individuals have more reason to innovate when their governments carefully guard intellectual property rights. Authors Richard Wilder and Pravid Anand argue that India is more innovative than China, largely because of moves to protect intellectual property. The software industry is growing rapidly, not so much because of low costs and outsourcing, but because of innovations that are protected by...

Outsourcing Your Heart

Unmesh Kher May 23, 2006
People forced to pay their own health-care costs tend to hunt for bargains. As a result, medical tourism is booming, with patients in the US, Canada and UK scheduling flights to obtain surgery in India, Thailand, and other countries with trained physicians and procedures that cost 25 percent or less than those based in the US. Uninsured or underinsured patients in particular arrange for plastic...

L’Europe face à la mondialisation – Part II

Bruce Stokes May 18, 2006
L’économie de marché peut amener des bénéfices macroéconomiques, mais il fait aussi des victimes humaines- des ouvriers qui sont heureux de trouver un nouveau travail et moins bien payé. Les nations développées d’Europe, avec leurs protections sociales généreuses, tentent une série de stratégies pour entrer dans la compétition mondiale avec des nations dont la population a de plus faibles...

Europe Faces Globalization – Part II

Bruce Stokes May 18, 2006
Free trade may offer macroeconomic benefits, but it also claims human victims – laid-off workers who are lucky to find new jobs for less pay. The developed nations of Europe, with established manufacturing centers and generous social benefits, employ a range of strategies to compete globally with nations that have lower wages and minimal social protections. The second in this two-part series...

Managing Globalization: Old Tax Breaks Fade in New World

Daniel Altman May 17, 2006
Businesses that open subsidiaries solely to reduce tax liabilities may want to think twice before relocating to China or India. Taxation has become more complicated as more firms go multinational and countries welcome more foreign firms. But governments continue to impose and enforce taxation, reports author Daniel Altman. Tax evasion and underreporting are challenges for China. Both China and...

Think Again: International Courts

Helena Cobban May 8, 2006
Human-rights activists envision international courts as a source for justice and peace. Author Helena Cobban, however, questions the worth of international courts, especially when cases are prolonged as in the case of Slobodan Milosevic, former president of Serbia. In Rwanda, the court has spent more than $1 billion prosecuting about 25 cases from the 1994 genocide. Cobban says the court...