In The News

Meet the Zippies

Thomas L. Friedman February 22, 2004
Wearing clothes other than the traditional Indian outfits, India's youth of today have become the first generation in the country to welcome global trade and the western jobs that come with it "with a zip in the stride." In this column in the New York Times, Thomas Friedman shows us the "zippies" phenomenon in India's many big cities like Bangalore. With 54% of the...

Women's Work: Globalization's Mixed Blessings

Erika Kinetz February 21, 2004
Women are generally preferred over men as workers in garment factories, presumably because of their "nimble fingers" and their perceived docility. In Cambodia and Bangladesh, an overwhelming majority of workers in garment factories are women. However, a study conducted by Oxfam International, a global relief agency, found that with multinational companies increasingly cutting down wages...

Europe Can No Longer Rely on Immigrant Workers

Jonathan Power February 19, 2004
Europe needs to realize that immigrant workers alone will not solve the problem of an aging population, says the author of this article. One country, Sweden, has already made this realization and has increased the retirement age to 67. But given Sweden's long-term demographic changes, analysts have estimated that the retirement age could go as high as 79. An aging population, however, is...

Grassley, Others Rip Bush Official's Pro-Outsourcing Remark

Margaret K. Collins February 12, 2004
The Bush administration's chief economist came under fire this week for testifying that the movement of American jobs overseas will benefit the economy. Lawmakers from states affected by the outsourcing trend were quick to criticize President Bush for the "insensitive" remarks of economic advisor Gregory Mankiw, which came at a time when many Americans are worried about losing...

'Offshoring' Has Its Trade-Offs

Steven Pearlstein February 11, 2004
The offshoring of US jobs is becoming a hot topic in political and economic debates. Earlier this week, President Bush's top economic advisor, Greg Mankiw, weighed in on the controversy by claiming that the offshoring of service jobs - like software design - to India and other countries can only make US businesses stronger. But that's not necessarily the case, says Steven Pearlstein...

Democrat Hopefuls, Lawmakers Denounce Outsourcing

February 7, 2004
The outsourcing of high-tech jobs to the developing world has become a potent issue in U.S. electoral politics. As job growth remains stagnant, politicians are turning on corporations that outsource to save money and evade American taxes. John Kerry, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, has criticized CEOs who move “profits and jobs overseas”. US politicians from both...

The Underbelly of Globalisation

Tony Woodley February 7, 2004
17 men and 2 women from China died off Morecambe Bay in northwest England when they were out picking cockles (bivalve mollusks found in wet sand). "This is not a migration issue. It is an exploitation issue." says Tony Woodley, general secretary of the UK's Transport and General Workers' Union. He criticizes both the "reckless employers" who benefit most from hiring...