In The News

China Rebalancing Won’t Doom Region

Deepak Gopinath October 24, 2012
China aims to be more than an assembly line. The government is actively rebalancing its economy to exit industries dependent on raw materials and labor, and that provides great opportunity for China’s neighbors in two ways, explains Deepak Gopinath, global markets director for Trusted Sources, an emerging-markets consulting firm. Neighboring economies can pick up the slack in low-value industries...

Amid US Outsourcing Fears, India’s IT Firms Thrive

Patrick Thibodeau October 17, 2012
In his presidential campaigns, both 2008 and now, Barack Obama has blasted outsourcing and offshoring of US jobs. Such political attention unnerved India’s IT industry, which relies on skilled labor and large numbers of temporary work visas, particularly the H-1B for the US. That visa allows educated foreign workers with US employer sponsors to stay about six years and work in select technical...

In US, Every Four Years, Much Ado Over China

Edward Gresser February 15, 2012
Railing against China’s trade policies has long been campaign fodder in US elections, and a visit this week by China’s presumptive incoming president could turn up the volume. It’s an old pattern, observes trade expert Edward Gresser. The party out of power may rail against unfair trade practices – but once in office, US presidents quickly discover that campaign promises on China are tough to...

Tax Reform May Not Bring US Jobs Back

David Dapice February 3, 2012
Technology and ever-growing productivity – not outsourcing – are the main culprits behind declining jobs in the United States. The US president has proposed revising tax policy to encourage companies to apply growing profits to factories and research inside the US. But manufacturing is going the way of agriculture; fewer workers producing more. “Because of automation and technology, each factory...

Help Wanted: In Unexpected Twist, Some Skilled Jobs Go Begging

Ben Casselman December 6, 2011
Industries are struggling to hire skilled workers for welding, wiring, drill-rigging and machine-work, but such abilities may be vanishing in the United States. “Data show the skills gap doesn't exist in whole industries but in specific jobs, including certain heavy-duty blue-collar ones,” reports Ben Casselman in an article for the Wall Street Journal. The shortages have boosted pay rates...

Japan in a Post 3/11 World – Part II

John Berthelsen October 7, 2011
Disasters present new beginning and perspectives with the need to build anew. Whether vowing to rebuild and replicate or relocate, those reviving Japan will strive for security and improvements. This YaleGlobal series explores the transformative effects of spring’s earthquake-tsunami on Japanese politics, energy policy and business. The disaster has prompted Japanese manufacturers to scout Asia...

Apple Attacked Over Pollution in China

Leslie Hook, Kathrin Hille September 13, 2011
Large multinational corporations are often accused of taking advantage of lax environmental laws in developing countries to reduce costs. But China is signaling a new willingness to reject environmental degradation in exchange for jobs and economic growth. A report published by five Chinese non-governmental organizations alleges that technological behemoth Apple has used suppliers with public...