In The News

How Big a Threat to West is Growth of China?

Stephen King June 7, 2004
The ongoing, rapid economic growth in developing countries like China and India might have deep repercussions in the developed West, argues Stephen King, managing director of economics at HSBC. Although per capita gross national income and commercial energy consumption is significantly lower in China and India than in the US and UK, these countries also have two of the world’s largest populations...

Trade Theory vs. Used Clothes in Africa

Carter Dougherty June 3, 2004
In Uganda the seemingly ubiquitous struggle between free traders and protectionists is played out in the debate over used clothes. Like so many other cities in Africa, Uganda's capital, Kampala, is the destination for millions of dollars worth of second-hand garments from the developed world. But while myriad jobs have sprung up in Uganda's used clothes trade, those involved in the...

China: The Missing Member at the G-8 Table

Jeffrey E. Garten June 3, 2004
China's key position in the world economy is increasingly obvious. A slew of indicators, from car usage and steel output to population size, shows that China cannot be ignored. Yet, writes Jeffrey E. Garten, Dean of the Yale School of Management, China will not be attending the upcoming Group of Eight summit in Georgia. Americans and others should wake up to China's importance for even...

No Lack of Fake Luxuries

Jin Hyun-joo June 3, 2004
Cartier, Rolex, DKNY… Brand-name items are all the rage on the streets of South Korean cities. But buyer beware, says this article in the Korea Herald; a great deal of these 'luxury goods' are fakes. Counterfeit items generate billions of won a year in sales, though, because savvy buyers don't seem to care that they aren't getting the real thing. Two out of three university...

Benefits and Pitfalls of Globalization

Park Myung-seok June 1, 2004
A growing concern about globalization’s negative effects on national economies worldwide has some governments re-thinking long-held economic ideologies. The difficulty in creating jobs within the context of an expanding global employee base has some longtime champions of free trade, including the United States, looking to legislate against outsourcing. Similar movements to protect local jobs are...

An Empire of Denial

George Monbiot June 1, 2004
The American 'empire' may be in denial, but it certainly doesn't need to become more assertive, says author George Monbiot. In this article in the UK's Guardian, Monbiot takes on historian Niall Ferguson to argue why American imperialism is not a good thing. When Ferguson praises the achievements of the British empire and urges the US to follow in its footsteps, Monbiot says...

The Dark Side of Globalization

Richard Gunde May 26, 2004
Along with increased cross-border trade and transnational migration, globalization has also contributed to the internationalization of social woes such as forced prostitution. In this article, UCLA professor Richard Gunde reviews key sessions from a recent forum on transborder crime in Southeastern Europe. Sociology professor Gail Kligman attributes the region’s high incidence of sex...