In The News

Southern Weekly Reporters Confront China Censors

January 8, 2013
Journalists are often the biggest opponents of censorship and biggest proponents of government reforms. Many observers in China had anticipated new reforms with the transition in leadership. Yet propaganda officials continue to censor reports about corruption, dissent and government’s inability to tackle pressing problems. Former staff members and interns of a newspaper in China have urged the...

How Chinese Economic Policy Could Save Club Med Countries

Mohnish Pabrai January 7, 2013
Deep in debt, desperate to borrow for reduced daily operations, Mediterranean countries contemplate unloading valuable properties. Instead of selling desirable properties, investor Mohnish Pabrai urges Greece, Spain and Italy to create special economic zones that bypass stringent national labor regulations and lease these properties to skilled managers who could then hire millions of unemployed,...

US Lags in Race for Tech Talent

Vivek Wadhwa October 26, 2012
The US is highly protectionist on labor and jobs. The country remains a top destination among skilled talent because of its opportunities in education, angel investors and markets. But regulations on visas that allow immigrants to work at US firms increasingly lead to bottlenecks in the application process and career obstacles for individuals in a highly mobile global market for top talent. US...

Amid US Outsourcing Fears, India’s IT Firms Thrive

Patrick Thibodeau October 17, 2012
In his presidential campaigns, both 2008 and now, Barack Obama has blasted outsourcing and offshoring of US jobs. Such political attention unnerved India’s IT industry, which relies on skilled labor and large numbers of temporary work visas, particularly the H-1B for the US. That visa allows educated foreign workers with US employer sponsors to stay about six years and work in select technical...

Some Silicon Valley-Style Pioneers Head East

Saritha Rai October 3, 2012
Many Indians are wary of starting business on their own. With a poor economy in the West, many are giving up jobs in Silicon Valley to return home and organize their own startups. The emerging economy offers a huge test market along with low costs and dependable workers. The returnees offer “an unprecedented innovation boost,” reports Saritha Rai, but must first overcome “a seeming aversion...

Beyond Factory Floor: China’s Plan to Nurture Talent

Xu Liyan, Qiu Jing September 10, 2012
China is determined to evolve into a global hub for innovation. With climbing college enrollment and a R&D staff exceeding 1.5 million, the nation is reforming its higher-education system, hiring practices and immigration regulations; encouraging cooperation with industry; developing new majors in the sciences in areas like alternative energies and new-materials engineering; and offering...

7 Reasons to Expect US Manufacturing Resurgence

Farok J. Contractor August 7, 2012
The US may be a service economy, but it’s still the world’s largest manufacturer. There are many reasons to remain bullish on US manufacturing and the American worker, suggests Farok Contractor, professor of management and global business at Rutgers Business School. US firms invest in high-tech equipment, and the US worker is tops in adding value per hour on products. Recent economic difficulties...