In The News

Emerging Economies Catching Up Faster Than You Might Think

Don Cayo May 24, 2011
Six emerging economies could account for half of all global economic growth by 2025. As a result, global wealth and power are shifting fast, concludes a World Bank report, and new financial structures and regulations could follow. The report, described by Don Cayo of the Vancouver Sun, points to trend for emerging economies: Trade has expanded among them and their share in trade has climbed to...

From Chiquita to Nike: Labor Activists Drive Corporations Bananas

John Lasker May 19, 2011
Labor activists try to devise innovative campaigns to catch attention of global consumers, exposing the source, labor and procedures behind popular products. Campaigns can range from stickers that explain the labor process to high-profile lawsuits on workers rights. An “effective tactic for supporting workers toiling at the roots of the global supply chain is simply gaining an understanding of...

Desperate Americans Buy Kidneys From Peru Poor in Fatal Trade

Michael Smith May 17, 2011
With organ transplants, technological capability outpaces supply. Selling organs is illegal in virtually all nations, but the laws do not deter desperate parties. “In the illegal organ trade, brokers scour the world’s slums, preying on the poor with promises of easy money and little risk in exchange for a kidney,” writes Michael Smith for Bloomberg. Kidney donors sign documents that no payment is...

The War Over Lipitor

Katherine Eban May 16, 2011
A generic version of the world’s top-selling prescription drug – Lipitor – was anticipated this fall, and Katherine Eban, writing for Fortune, suggests that “Generic-drug companies are now feuding like greedy relatives at Lipitor's graveside.” Exclusive rights to sell drugs end 20 years after the patent application is filed. The first generic maker to file patent for a viable substitute – in...

Sky Wars: Europe Battles to Erase Borders in the Air

Daniel Michaels May 9, 2011
Money does not necessarily guarantee safety or efficiency, and Europe is trying to reduce airline industry costs by eliminating national boundaries and bureaucracy in air-traffic control. Iceland’s 2010 volcanic eruption, spewing ash into the sky, demonstrated haphazard rules and need for coordination. “The battle for Europe's skies – which directly affects every traveler, economy and air...

WTO Doha Round: Do or Die

Richard Baldwin, Simon Evenett May 6, 2011
The deadlocked Doha Round of trade negotiations, nearly a decade old, has been subjected to numerous delays. With the political calendar making it difficult for major players to make concessions, time is running out to complete negotiations, contend Richard Baldwin and Simon Evenett, professors of international economics and international trade, respectively. Economic hardship, elections and...

Foreign Dollars for an American Dream

Coeli Carr May 6, 2011
To create jobs, governments typically invest in local businesses. But Ecuador looked beyond its borders and invested in Runa, a small New York–based firm that markets guayusa, a caffeinated drink. The investment tackles numerous policy goals: The drink is made from leaves of holly, native to the Amazon; developing a commercial product could preserve rainforest and aid indigenous communities. Napo...