In The News

Argentina Stuck on the Periphery of a Globalized World

Jean-Pierre Lehmann February 20, 2004
Although once renowned for its prosperity and rich culture, Argentina has seen its fortunes decline as it suffered authoritarian rulers throughout the 20th century. Democratic strides in the 1980s and 1990s did not bring success, either - the "liberal" leaders of those two decades implemented free-market policies that many blame for Argentina's current economic woes. Yet...

Edwards Notes Differences on Issue of World Trade

Katherine Q. Seelye February 20, 2004
As the race for the US Democratic Party's presidential nomination narrows down to just two candidates – Senators John Edwards and John Kerry – a significant change in strategy is underway. Both candidates, clearly capitalizing on public sentiment stemming from the loss of US jobs to overseas competition, are attacking international trade agreements and generally siding with US labor leaders...

Singapore Hooked on External Demand

Eddie Lee February 17, 2004
Singapore's foreign currency reserves jumped 17% in the last year, an increase not seen since before the Asian economic crisis of the late 1990s. Other countries in the region have also seen large increases due to substantial trade surpluses, which may suggest that the Asian economy is on firmer ground. Previously, large foreign reserves in Southeast Asia were the result of foreign capital...

A Development Nightmare

Kenneth Rogoff February 16, 2004
As much as wealthier nations purport to want to make the world's economy more equitable, Kenneth Rogoff, the director of the Center for International Development at Harvard University, argues that this is an unsustainable dream. The standard of living enjoyed by most Americans would destroy the environment, raise gas prices to outrageous levels, and generally wreck havoc on limited...

Indonesia Urges Global Boycott on Malaysian Timber

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja February 13, 2004
Although Malaysia and Indonesia acknowledge illegal trade of the rare ramin wood from Indonesia to Malaysia, both countries refuse to take responsibility. Malaysia claims the "onus is on Indonesia to upgrade their laws" to prevent smugglers from chopping rare trees; Indonesia accuses Kuala Lumpur of tacitly consenting to the importation of illegal wood. Meanwhile, Indonesia has called...

Jobs Flight? Worry about Industry Flight Instead

Alvin Pang February 12, 2004
Singapore doesn't need to worry about workers leaving, but whole businesses. With a maturing economy based largely on IT, finance, and trade, Singapore no longer attracts budding entrepreneurs looking for the next big thing. And the current outsourcing debacle suggests that no oasis lies on the horizon. To stay competitive, Singapore needs to encourage younger firms to wade into...

'Lean, Mean at 20

Matt Nauman February 11, 2004
Twenty years ago, automobile manufacturers in the US were far from 'lean' in their production facilities. In one California General Motors factory, workers were known for high absenteeism and a "militant" attitude. But that changed in 1984, says this Mercury News article, when Toyota and GM joined forces and decided to import Japanese management practices to an American...