In The News

“Halal” Labels Experiencing a Supermarket Boom

Peter Ziegler April 13, 2007
Religions often provide strict guidelines on food choices and preparation. With more than 1.7 million Muslims spread throughout the world, food products that abide by the rules of Islam, labeled as “halal,” are the fastest growing segment in the food market. The world’s leading meat producers in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, New Zealand, Great Britain and the USA are prepared to...

Global Growth Can Be Sustained, Says IMF

Larry Elliott April 12, 2007
General trends such as protectionism and aging populations pose more risk to the global economy than the problems of any specific nation, according to the biannual report on the state of the global economy from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Recent stock-market jitters and the slowing US housing market are unlikely to dampen global economic growth, the IMF report notes. The US slowdown...

Even as Africa Hungers, Policy Slows Delivery of US Food Aid

Celia W. Dugger April 10, 2007
Intervention, even with the best intentions, can cause unforeseen tragic consequences. Thousands of people starve in Zambia, caught in a web of international health groups that supply drugs for AIDS, improving health yet increasing the pangs of hunger; weather patterns that deliver drought; local politicians who don’t want to release large food supplies; and wealthy nations in the West that...

Multinationals: Globalization's Offspring

April 10, 2007
Scrappy new multinational firms are emerging all over the world: Hindalco and Tata from India, Lenovo and PetroChina from China. “Just as Toyota and Samsung eventually obliged western multinationals to rethink how to make cars and consumer electronics, so today's young thrusters threaten the veterans wherever they are complacent,” notes this article in “The Economist.” The new firms are...

Stock Market Hiccups No Cause for Worry

Manu Bhaskaran April 5, 2007
Economists debate whether the financial interdependence of the modern world provides insulation against shocks or sets the stage for a chain reaction of woes. Every major power has its financial weak point – immense debt for the US; regional conflicts and poverty for India; and a lack of transparency for China combined with uncertainty over how communist leaders can control a population accruing...

India’s Edge Goes Beyond Outsourcing

Anand Giridharadas April 5, 2007
Developments in transportation and communications technology enable greater globalization of more segments of the labor market. For several decades, manufacturing jobs gradually moved from developed countries to areas with low-cost workers. Now workers in the developing world take on more complex tasks in engineering, finance and pharmacology. Boeing, for instance, relies on Indian-developed...

Capital Warfare

Heidi Crebo-Rediker March 29, 2007
If American policymakers hope to exercise influence in international affairs, they must recognize that US control wanes as more economic power spreads around the globe. The US can prepare accordingly by recognizing its own deficiencies – high debt, protectionist tendencies and overdependence on foreign oil – and instituting reform. States that are a prime source, destination and market for...