In The News

Mexican Immigration Still Up in Air

Dane Schiller November 27, 2002
A meeting between US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Mexican Foreign Secretary Jorge Castañeda ended with a $25 million pledge to help coordinate border security efforts between Mexican and US law enforcement officials. The larger issue of whether the US will permit temporary workers to enter the US from Mexico is still elusive, despite being one of Mexican president Vicente Fox's main...

A Troubled Project Holds Warnings for Kazakhstan's Oil Sector

Mark Berniker November 19, 2002
Investments by multinational corporations can help bring skills, capital, and income to developing countries. But creating a mutually beneficial relationship isn't necessarily a smooth process, as this report from Central Asia explains: "ChevronTexaco has been Kazakhstan's primary oil and gas investor since 1993. Now, with disagreements halting a joint venture between the company...

Will de Soto’s ideas work in Thailand?

Nophakhun Limsamarnphun November 17, 2002
In the age of almost instantaneous information exchange, ideas can travel around the world with only the click of a mouse. From South America to Southeast Asia, poor people around the world face similar problems. Now Thailand's Prime Minister is considering taking up an anti-poverty scheme developed by the Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto. If his idea proves as effective as it promises...

Job Subsidies May Clash with EU Law

Carola Schlagheck November 15, 2002
EU antitrust regulation has placed strict restrictions on government subsidies to private businesses. The German government’s plan to create jobs by financing job placement agencies and temporary employment contracts may contradict EU policy, and infringement proceedings against the country are pending. For the one million Germans who benefit from publicly-subsidized employment, the results of...

The Need for WTO Reform

Vandana Shiva November 12, 2002
Farmers in India suffer from WTO rules. Without import restrictions and tariff barriers, subsistence farmers are forced to compete against subsidized firms that can provide artificially low prices. Meanwhile, costs have increased for farmers as multinationals rush into the market with seeds that require expensive fertilizers. Market access for developing countries and lowering subsidies – two...

McDonald’s to Close Restaurants Amid Restructuring

Associated Press November 8, 2002
Faced with falling profits, the US-based McDonald’s Corp. has found it necessary to restructure the corporation by slowing down expansion and overhauling U.S. restaurants. McDonald’s also plans to pull out of or restructure in at least seven nations, all located in the Middle East and Latin America. In addition, the corporation will cut individual struggling franchises in at least ten other...

Controlling Iraq’s Oil: Not So Easy

Serge Schmemann November 3, 2002
Though the countries opposing the war in Iraq may have valid moral or ideological reasons behind their position, they also have trade ties to the country that might be threatened by a war. The US, on the other hand, may have economic interests driving it to push for an invasion of Iraq. America's motivations certainly may include security concerns, but the prospect of gaining a private gas...