In The News

Eastern Europe Becomes a Center for Outsourcing

John Tagliabue April 30, 2007
Be careful what you wish for, goes the old saying. People in Western Europe once grumbled about immigrants from Eastern Europe seeking work. But instead of people moving about, more Western European firms shift jobs to Eastern Europe, reports journalist John Tagliabue in “The New York Times.” The global outsourcing market is worth almost $400 billion this year. Eastern European nations like the...

Cures for the French Disease

Eric Chaney April 25, 2007
More than 80 percent of registered voters in France cast ballots – selecting “young candidates who pledged to change French political habits,” writes Eric Chaney, a former French finance ministry official for “The Wall Street Journal.” Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and socialist Ségolène Royal will face off in the May run-off election, offering voters a clear choice between “giving more freedom to...

Is France Cooling Toward Its Arab Friends?

Pascal Boniface April 18, 2007
During the Cold War, France emerged as a Western advocate for the interests of the Arab world. Although conventional wisdom ascribes this special relationship to economic and political calculations, foreign affairs specialist Pascal Boniface argues that France’s motivations are more complex. A number of strategic concerns have been at the root of the French-Arab alliance since 1967. Good...

French Voters Fear Globalization

Angela Doland April 17, 2007
As predicted, conservative Nicolas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal captured the first round in the French presidential election that featured globalization as a central issue. According to a survey last year, 64 percent of the French view globalization as a threat to their nation’s commercial autonomy. Yet the election revealed varied perspectives: Some candidates favored globalization, but with...

France: Whither Globalization?

Katrin Bennhold April 16, 2007
The main issue for the French is how to cope with globalization, suggests one analyst. “In few other West European countries do governments of all stripes pay such lip-service to the anti-globalization movement,” writes Katrin Bennhold for “The International Herald Tribune. France has benefited immensely from foreign investment – yet two thirds of voters view globalization as a “threat to jobs.”...

Romania, a Poor Land, Imports Poorer Workers

Matthew Brunwasser April 16, 2007
Foreign investors appreciate Romania for its low labor costs. But once Romania joined the European Union as of January 1, 2007, many of its young, skilled workers moved away to Europe’s wealthiest cities. As a result, some employers – especially those in small dreary factory towns – confront ongoing labor shortages. One factory manager in Bacau solved the problem by contacting an employment...

Turning Globalization on Its Head

April 4, 2007
People who want to join the global economy must do more than learn about it from home. Germany has a shortage of qualified information-technology personnel – and must outsource such jobs to India. As a result, more Germans travel to India for internships and jobs. Likewise, Indian firms are starting businesses in Europe. Germany faces some big hurdles in any attempts to welcome firms and workers...