In The News

Despite Fears, Mexico's Manufacturing Boom Lifts US Workers

Natalie Kitroeff September 2, 2016
Automation is transforming manufacturing, reducing jobs and need for skills. A Los Angeles Time article describes apprenticeships for young Mexicans working alongside robots in a BMW plant in Mexico. US presidential candidates question the benefits of the North American Free Trade Agreement, but many companies – including those from outside the US – are shifting operations from China to Mexico....

Apple Must Pay Billions for Tax Breaks in Ireland, EU Orders

James Kanter and Mark Scott August 30, 2016
Countries go to great lengths to attract jobs to their shores, and companies do the same to avoid taxes. The European Commission has ordered Apple, the world’s largest company in terms of market value, to pay €13 billion in back taxes and argues that Ireland’s tax incentives extend an unfair advantage. Apple assigned profits of Irish subsidiaries to a “head office” to reduce taxes, report James...

Two Faces of Global Trade

Nayan Chanda August 30, 2016
A steel glut in China – due to stimulus funding and weak economic recovery since 2007 – has led to a trade war. China controls half the world’s steel production, and the United States, Europe and others have responded with new duties on steel imports. “Cut-price steel causing unemployment has emerged as a lightning rod for discontent about globalization,” explains Nayan Chanda, YaleGlobal...

What Role for Global Governance?

Kemal Derviş August 22, 2016
Increasing interdependence among countries, combined with the ability for individuals or businesses to relocate to countries with few regulations has led to calls for more global governance. Disparate rules, such as when nations balk at reducing reliance on coal, have cross-border implications. Global challenges require global coordination, notes Kemal Derviş, vice president of the Brookings...

Among Uncertainties After Brexit Vote, Low Growth Is Sure

David Dapice August 18, 2016
British voters elected to leave the European Union, which in turn ushered in new leadership for the United Kingdom. But few are sure of the next step, and British leaders are wise to proceed cautiously before invoking Article 50 of the EU treaty and starting the process of negotiating a separation agreement. If agreement is not reached in two years, membership ends unless both parties approve an...

Globalization With Asian Characteristics

Chietigj Bajpaee July 22, 2016
As Britain elected to end membership with the European Union, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank held its first annual meeting – a juxtaposition that is “an indicator of the changing dynamics of globalization,” suggests policy analyst Chietigj Bajpaee for the Diplomat. Populist and protectionist stances, once regarded as extreme, are now mainstream in Europe and the United States. Western...

Why Parents Are Often the Biggest Obstacle to Achievement

Paul Phillips June 6, 2016
Education is a long route to prosperity. Parents who view children as a resource that can contribute to a family farm, business or retirement often dissuade children from pursuing full education opportunities. “Because they equate education with loss,” writes Paul Phillips, principal and chief executive of Weston College. “That is to say, if a person gets an education they will leave and never...