In The News

Globalization Is Good

Peter Mandelson June 11, 2008
The US has been a major driver behind globalization of trade, and either Barack Obama or John McCain will preside over the next phase. Peter Mandelson, EU trade commissioner lays out the challenges for the next US president and offers advice: The global economy is no longer based on a powerful center, inequality within a society matters as much as inequality between countries, and trade...

China and Wal-Mart: The Champions of Equality

Christian Broda June 5, 2008
Workers worry about being on the losing side of trade and losing jobs. But inflation and higher prices can also quickly erode wealth. “National statistics ignore the fact that inflation affects people in different income groups unevenly because the rich and poor consume different baskets of goods,” writes Christian Broda for the Financial Times. In the US, where unemployment stands at about 5...

Falling Behind: Globalization and Its Discontents

Henry A. Kissinger June 3, 2008
An emerging global economy and accompanying systems have prompted some countries to cling to power and display nationalistic tendencies. “The basic premise of globalization is that competition will sort out the most efficient, a process that, by definition, involves winners and losers,” writes Henry Kissinger in an opinion essay for the International Herald Tribune. Even occasional losers are...

EU Enlargement: The Dark Side of Globalization

June 2, 2008
As the European Union opened trade and borders, foreign investors set up shop in communities throughout the former Soviet Republic. For example, Samsonite opened a factory in Samorin, Slovakia, in 1997. But the jobs and economic development were short-lived, with Samsonite moving its production line on to China a decade later. “Samorin is a witness to the way that globalisation is fragmenting as...

How to Do Guilt-Free Business With Beijing

Michael Skapinker June 2, 2008
China’s push to develop its economy and improve the standard of living for its billion-plus population has not been without problems, including pollution, corruption, human-rights violations, and cover-ups through media censorship. Hosting the Olympics has invited attention on both economic success and the problems – not just for China but also for the many companies that do business there....

Resourcing Outsourcing

Tamer Hafez May 29, 2008
Rapid growth is anticipated in outsourcing of information-technology, particularly with the rise in energy prices. Infrastructure, low wages, an educated work force and language skills have contributed to Egypt moving up the list as one of the best destinations for outsourcing. “Yet even the seemingly organized IT and call center market is fragmented, spanning from brand-name supported regional...

Keep America Open to Trade

Carlos M. Gutierrez May 28, 2008
Like other countries, the US confronts rising energy, housing and food prices – but limiting immigration or reducing trade will not alleviate such economic problems. The US secretary of commerce and the governor of California urge that the US continue open policies on trade and immigration. In an opinion essay for the Wall Street Journal, Carlos Gutierrez and Arnold Schwarzenegger, both...