In The News

The Politics of Globalization

Peter Mandelson April 8, 2011
The politics of globalization can be improved, argues Peter Mandelson, former European commissioner for trade in an essay based on a March 2011 keynote speech on the future of globalization. Governments have the capability to tame what seems to be a senseless race to devour resources and amass profits. Collective action is the only way to control dangerous competition, prevent unreasonable...

In a Borderless World, Innovation Reigns Supreme

Ashok Bardhan April 4, 2011
Economists and policymakers recognize that investment in research and development – by government or industry – contributes to innovation, employment and higher living standards. In pursuit of bigger markets and lower costs US firms started the trend of relocating manufacturing and services overseas, and now R&D activities follow, explains economist Ashok Bardhan. The transfers raise...

Confluence of Horrors, Global Impact Makes Japan's Tragedy a Transcendent Event in History

Joji Sakurai March 21, 2011
As humans learn from the experience of others and make accommodations, the tsunami and nuclear accident could transform many future endeavors, explains Joji Sakurai in an essay for the Canadian Press. Japan, an advanced economy, has been the second most generous foreign aid donor in the world and now welcomes financial and technological assistance from around the globe. The internet and...

A Wing and a Prayer: Outsourcing at Boeing

Kyle Peterson March 11, 2011
In making its new 787 Dreamliner, Boeing outsourced work to a global network of more than 50 partners, a marked contrast to the traditional practice of manufacturing planes at its base near Seattle, Washington. The plane is nearly three years behind schedule, beset by technical and supply problems and billions of dollars in cost over-runs. Boeing workers complain that the failures derive in part...

How a One Drink Changed Fortunes, Incited Protests

Farok J. Contractor March 9, 2011
Tea, native to Asia, reached Europe in 1606, after Dutch traders sent a bulk tea shipment; within a century, the caffeinated drink became a popular beverage. Globalization’s pace was slower then, but the resulting prosperity and pain were still immense, explains Farok J. Contractor, professor of management and global business. He traces the course of tea’s globalization over the centuries: High...

Globalization Fuels the Arab Uprising

Frida Ghitis February 10, 2011
Global trade and competition, recognition of declining resources, rising wage inequality and prices, along with instant communications – many forces of globalization are behind uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. Widespread, well-publicized discontent has made oppression more difficult to enforce, explains Frida Ghitis for World Politics Review. “For people living in the stagnant economies of the...

There’s No Stopping It

Nayan Chanda February 7, 2011
Internet and cell phones are essential tools for global business. Any attempt to cut the flow of communications invites anger, protest, confusion and embarrassing scrutiny, as it was discovered by the Mubarak government on 28 January. Egypt, hoping to hobble protesters and block international observers, ordered its internet providers to change gateway addresses and stop traffic. “The ploy failed...