In The News

Migration Laws May Be the End of Globalization

Branko Milanovic August 1, 2006
The first worldwide era of economic globalization ended with the carnage and insecurity of two World Wars separated by a Depression, according to author Branko Milanovic. The end of the current era, he writes, will not necessarily come from global catastrophe, but rather with “an economic retrenchment that brings economic stagnation and consigns billions of people to grinding poverty.”...

Managing Globalization: Why Trade Talks Do Little for the Poorer Countries

Daniel Altman July 31, 2006
With failure of the Doha Round talks, many ask whether free trade really benefits developing countries. Two studies suggest no, though each differ on the root cause of such a global dilemma, according to “International Herald Tribune” columnist Daniel Altman, and that reveals the complexities of trade. Sandra Polaski of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace argues that lowering tariffs...

US Shares Blame for Trade Talk Collapse

Lael Brainard July 28, 2006
An unsatisfactory end to the Doha Round of trade talks also signals the end of a US policy of “competitive liberalization,” writes economist Lael Brainard. Until now, this policy included pursuing bilateral and regional trade agreements with the hope of unlocking worldwide multilateral negotiations. The failure of Doha, with midterm elections approaching in the US, makes it unlikely that...

All Fall Down

Edward Gresser July 27, 2006
Leaders of developing nations anticipated that negotiations of the Doha Round could lead to even-handed trade practices, particularly in agriculture. With the talks collapsed, the wealthiest nations will not suffer nearly as much as the developing nations, according to trade analyst Edward Gresser. The real losers, he says, will be cotton farmers in West Africa, textile workers in low-income...

South African Business: Going Global

July 26, 2006
Following the fall of apartheid, South African companies had much catching up to do. The isolation of the 1980s, however, did confer some benefits, including self-sufficiency and internal development. Another result was the creation of local conglomerates focusing on diverse industries, or “business octopuses.” Allowed to do business beyond South Africa’s borders, however, these unwieldy...

A Deal Doomed From the Beginning

Alan Beattie July 25, 2006
While some anti-globalization activists and NGOs breathe a sigh of relief with the collapse of the Doha round talks, others frantically question how the talks could have gone awry. So ambitious, the Doha Round was destined for failure, suggests Alan Beattie, world trade editor with “The Financial Times.” Priorities of large agricultural exporters like the US, Australia and initially Brazil...

Habitual Blindness

Eric Rauchway July 20, 2006
The US is a creature of habit and that means repeating old mistakes, according to author Eric Rauchway. Reaping benefits of industrialization and expansion while devoting few resources to the process, thanks to immigration and foreign capital, the US too often mistakes “habit for virtue.” Rauchway contends that the US deludes itself into acting as though circumstances have changed little since...