In The News

Outsourcing Is Climbing Skills Ladder

Steve Lohr February 20, 2006
The Bush administration announced an initiative to increase spending on science education and research – to encourage more US students to take up the generally scorning the field. But the plan may be too late. Multinational companies – who always shop around for the best prices and the best talent – plan to move research and development jobs overseas, to countries with the fastest growing...

Connecting Developing Nations

Eric Sylvers February 20, 2006
Cell phone company executives boast about how their services and economic development improve the quality of life in poor countries. However, delivering cellular technology to the developing world is a business proposition as well as a humanitarian one. The world has plenty of untapped markets – Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America – and no two are alike. Two-thirds of the world’s...

Companies in Emerging Markets Show Clout in Global Deal Game

Jason Singer February 17, 2006
Some critics of globalization think of market liberalization as “neo-colonialism.” Western companies, they claim, reap profits from exploiting cheap labor of the developing world. Yet recent corporate maneuvers suggest that globalization is a far more complex process. Since 2002, companies from emerging markets like India and China have bought up Western competitors with increasing frequency. The...

How to Ease the Pain of Globalization

Catherine L. Mann February 17, 2006
Frequent news articles detail the offshoring of information technology (IT) jobs, sounding alarms for all US workers. Catherine Mann suggests that such alarm may be unwarranted and points out steps to maximize the benefits of globalization. Research indicates that the globalization of IT actually promotes productivity, creates new jobs, reduces inflation and enhances innovation, both in the US...

Used Cars for the Third World

Eric Wiedemann February 17, 2006
“El Dorado” is commonly known as the mythical city of gold. In Hamburg and other German cities, however, used-car scrap yards, known as “dorados,” challenge the traditional meaning. The “dorados” are huge fields, divided by fences, where dealers sell German cars that no longer meet safety or emissions standards, most destined for Africa and Eastern Europe. Despite appearances, there is nothing...

Wake Up To Old-Fashioned Power of New Oligopolies

Barry Lynn February 15, 2006
While the term “monopoly” is familiar, the related term, “oligopoly” – which refers to control of markets by a handful of major corporations – is less well known. Yet business journalist and author Barry Lynn contends that the citizens and politicians must wake up to the tightening grasp of “global mega-institutions” on the global marketplace. Global oligopolies pose dangers, often associated...

The World’s Drinking Glass Is More Than Half Full

G. Jeffrey Macdonald February 14, 2006
Throughout the developing world, about 700 million people have acquired household access to drinking water since 1999. According to the WHO and UNICEF, more than half of people around the globe now have drinking water piped into their homes. In rural developing regions, women typically collect household water. Eliminating the trek to and from the nearest water source, sometimes up to ten miles...