In The News

Globalization: It’s an Inflation-Busting Superhero

Neil Reynolds June 6, 2006
Individual choices contribute to the speed of globalization: World trade accounted for 10 percent of gross world product in 1960 to 30 percent today. Foreign visitors increased, from two per every 100 people in 1960 to 15 per 100 in 2005. More than one third of the world relies on cell phones, and a billion people use the internet. Over the past 30 years, inflation has also decreased, and it is...

The Sovereignty of Disease

David L. Heymann June 6, 2006
With the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in 2002, nations embarked on a new era of global cooperation, sharing information and partnering on investigations, reporting and prevention strategies. The cooperation continues with outbreaks of the avian flu, according to David L. Heymann, director of the Communicable Diseases Program at the World Health Organization. Real-time electronic...

Transcript of “An Interview With N.R. Narayana Murthy”

June 5, 2006
The following is a transcript of Nayan Chanda’s interview with Infosys founder, N.R. Narayana Murthy, conducted on April 28, 2006. Murthy analyzes factors required for success in the global market. He founded Infosys in 1981 with six software professionals, and now serves as the chairman and chief mentor for the firm. Since 1981, the firm has become one of the most innovative in the world,...

Hollywood Caters to a Ravenous Global Appetite

William Booth June 2, 2006
Hollywood is big business, but the largest portion of its revenues no longer comes from the US. Instead, Hollywood reaps more international than domestic profits, and as a result, the global marketplace influences everything from what films get made to how they are made. In fact, big Hollywood productions no longer make US audiences their primary target and aim to entertain thousands of...

When Germans Join Migrant Field Hands, the Harvest Suffers

Andreas Tzortzis June 1, 2006
Polish nurses take time off during the asparagus harvest in Germany, where they can earn six months of nursing wages with only two months in the fields. Polish migrants traditionally harvest the spring asparagus crop in Germany – and appreciate the pay for work that is long and strenuous. The system pleased both migrants and farmers, but the German Labor Ministry – responding to a 11 percent...

Globalization: How the New Shift of Power Is Affecting Inflation

Hamish McRae May 31, 2006
Because of globalization, manufacturers must pay increasing prices paid for raw goods like oil or minerals, and consumers discover dropping prices for products on store shelves. This analysis of the International Monetary Fund’s “World Economic Outlook” suggests that ten years ago, developed countries provided the impetus for trade, but the emerging economies of India, China and Eastern Europe...

US Plan to Lure Nurses May Hurt Poor Nations

Celia W. Dugger May 30, 2006
The US is the wealthiest and healthiest country in the world, but has no qualms about enticing nurses from poor countries. The US Senate, in approving its version of immigration reform, has included a clause that would remove any limits on the number of nurses allowed into the country through 2014. The sponsor of the legislation suggests that the bill would attract more nurses from India and the...