In The News

Forget India, Outsource to Arkansas

Jennifer Alsever July 8, 2010
With a national unemployment rate approaching 10 percent, relatively high for the US, biotech and IT technology firms eye low-cost labor rural communities in states like Arkansas, Missouri and Minnesota. Dubbed “rural outsourcing” by this CNN Money article, the work entails providing IT support or customizing software code. “For some companies, the thought of outsourcing work to countries with...

Reverse Outsourcing

Nayan Chanda July 6, 2010
An old saying – what goes around comes around – applies to anything global, and that includes outsourcing. France and other developed nations with high labor costs have long and bitterly complained about jobs shifting to low-wage nations like China. But Europe’s rising unemployment, combined with rising wages in China, contribute to an agreement that brings up to 50 Chinese electronics and light-...

Global Migration: A World Ever More on the Move

Jason DeParle June 29, 2010
People’s movement around the globe – for work, wanderlust or safety – has long reordered the world in ways comprehended only decades, even centuries later, notes Jason DeParle for the New York Times. New arrivals influence trade, work habits, schools, culture and politics at all levels. Mobility is at historically high levels, and the United Nations estimates the globe has more than 200 million...

African Migrant Workers Find Slim Pickings in Strawberry Fields of Southern Spain

Jean-Jacques Bozonnet June 28, 2010
In Spain, migrant men called “ghosts,” live in hidden plywood shacks adjoining berry fields, and wait for the next season’s harvest. But weather and laws have disrupted the plans of many who travel from Africa and Eastern Europe seeking work on berry farms. In 2008, Spain aimed to reduce immigration by reducing the number of temporary work permits for harvests. The country’s unemployment rate...

The World at Play: Soccer Takes on Globalization

Branko Milanovic June 15, 2010
Soccer is the most globalized sport. Owners of any sporting team demand and pay for top talent from anywhere in the world. Before 1995, soccer rules in Europe limited the number of foreign players to a handful per club. A Belgian player successfully protested that the rules violated European laws on labor mobility and discrimination. Since then, the doors have opened wide and skills in the game...

The Hub Nation

April 28, 2010
The US attracts one of the highest rates of immigrants in the world and this trend has important benefits for the country. Immigrants are tied to networks with their own countrymen, which facilitates economic growth. While modern technology allows for instantaneous global communication, it is often only immigrants who know the right people to call. They have pre-established trust relationships,...

Debt and Unemployment: Is Global Capitalism Responsible? – Part II

David Dapice April 26, 2010
In declaring an end to recession, economists fall into two camps: One side, including economists with the Obama administration, maintains high rates of unemployment are cyclical and jobs will return soon; others contend that the US economy confronts fundamental restructuring, with massive unemployment lingering for years. This two-part YaleGlobal series examines economic debates over debt and...