In The News

As China’s Workforce Dwindles, World Scrambles for Alternatives

Kathy Chu and Bob Davis December 15, 2015
China’s factory workers were once willing to work long hours for wages as low as “a few dimes an hour,” report Kathy Chu and Bob Davis for the Wall Street Journal. But China is aging, workers expect higher wages; factories invest in technology: ‘The changes will mark a new chapter in the history of globalization, where automation is king, nearness to market is crucial and the lives of workers and...

The Globalization of America’s Colleges

Laura McKenna November 27, 2015
The number of international students attending US colleges approached 1 million for the 2014-15 academic year. Such students represent 5 percent of the college population. Top states are California, New York, Texas, Massachusetts, and Illinois. Colleges with more than 11 percent international students include New York University, University of Southern California, Columbia University, Arizona...

Double Jeopardy: Russia Strives to Reintegrate With the West

Ashkhen Kazaryan November 24, 2015
Russians want to be responsible members of the global community and seek reintegration, yet they also fervently support their government's aggressive foreign policy. “As the leaders in the West contemplate joining Russia in a strategy to defeat the Islamic State, the world needs to understand the deeper reasons for Russian behavior as much as Russia needs to modify its strategies and...

TPP Is Surprising Vote of Confidence in Globalization

Greg Ip October 23, 2015
Workers in many countries are suspicious about free-trade agreements for reducing job opportunities. The Trans-Pacific Partnership has won approval of 12 nations, and now requires separate legislative approval from each. US approval could be “precarious,” suggests reports Greg Ip for the Wall Street Journal, even though the country may be sacrificing the least. He explains that trade agreement...

Us Against Them? Why Globalization Doesn't Have to Pit American Workers Against the World's Poor

Jeff Spross October 9, 2015
Global poverty is in decline. The percentage of the world’s population living in extreme poverty is 14 percent, dropping by half since the early 1990s. Yet wages have stagnated in advanced economies like the United States. “The paradox is that both trends have probably been pushed along by the same forces: globalization and international trade,” reports Jeff Spross for the Week. Many workers in...

US, Japan and 10 Countries Strike Pacific Trade Deal

Shawn Donnan and Demetri Sevastopulo October 6, 2015
Twelve nations reached agreement on a huge free-trade deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnership which covers labor conditions, environment protections, investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms, intellectual property and packaging laws. The partnership is expected to cover 40 percent of world trade and is described as a success for US President Barack Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for...

The Future of Work: The Risks of Industrial Globalization

Evangelina Argueta September 23, 2015
Ongoing investments by multinational corporations in various industries standardize labor practices. With technology contributing to increased productivity and reducing the number of jobs, less priority is assigned to labor rights or training workers to adapt. “Commercial agreements and free trade treaties between developed countries and undeveloped countries are deficient in the protection of...