Reference Update

JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2006

ECONOMICS AND TRADE

1. AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY ADOPTION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Matin Qaim
American Journal of Agricultural Economics, December 2005, 18 pages.
Qaim, an agricultural economist, details three main differences between agricultural biotechnology and previous crop technologies that influence their availability and access for farmers. He discusses intellectual property rights (IPR), regulatory procedures, and seed price. He concludes that biotechnology holds great potential for developing countries, but the benefits on a larger scale require complementary public endeavors to ensure wider dissemination.

2. RECOVERING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
David G. Victor
Foreign Affairs, January/February 2006, 13 pages.
Sustainable development --the notion that boosting economic growth, protecting the natural resources, and ensuring social justice can be complimentary goals-- has lost much appeal over the past two decades. The concept can be relevant again, the author argues, but only if its original purpose --helping the poor live healthier lives on their own terms-- is restored.

3. THE INEQUALITY TRAP
Francisco H. G. Ferreira and Michael Walton
Finance & Development, December 2005, 4 pages.
According to the authors, the shaping of opportunities begins before individuals are born. Who one's parents are, what country they live in, and how rich they are, make a large difference to a person's opportunities in terms of life expectancy, education, access to services, and economic prospects. Inequalities in opportunity are reproduced over time and across generations, through economic, sociocultural, and political mechanisms -- leading to what is called inequality traps. The bottom line is that a concern with equity is of immense importance for development.

4. REFORMING THE WORLD BANK
Jessica Einhorn
Foreign Affairs, January/February 2006, 7 pages.
The World Bank's outdated financial structure is a threat to its continued relevance, the author says. She recommends some structural changes that will help the bank deal with the needs of its middle-income clients more effectively, and adapt its own financial infrastructure to the modern world of global finance.

5. WHO SUPPLIED MY CHEESE? SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY
Thomas F. Siems
Business Economics, October 2005, 15 pages.
Today, with an Internet connection and some specialized skills, individuals and companies located in the remotest ends of the earth can compete and collaborate globally. While many factors can influence macroeconomic variables, evidence is presented here that better global supply chain management and a more global economy should not be overlooked. The author examines the evolution of supply chain management and the impacts of new technology on its operations.

 

REGIONAL SECURITY

6. ASIAN ANCHORS SHIFT
James Kitfield
National Journal, November 12, 2005, 6 pages.
The long-term success of the Bush administration's Asian strategy will likely depend on its ability to reshape and reinvigorate its strategic relationships in the region, particularly with the two nations that host the bulk of U.S. military forces in Asia: Japan and South Korea.

7. THE DECLINE OF AMERICAN SOFT POWER
Joshua Kurlantzick
Current History, December 2005, 6 pages.
Polls taken in many nations suggest that anti-Bush administration sentiment, which developed between 2002 and 2004, has mutated and strengthened into a broader anti-Americanism. The author examines the cause of the trend and recommends some measures to halt the damage to America's image and reverse its losses.

8. DAVID'S FRIEND GOLIATH
Michael Mandelbaum
Foreign Policy, January-February 2006, 7 pages.
The rest of the world complains that American hegemony is reckless, arrogant and insensitive ... [but] the world's guilty secret is that it enjoys the security and stability the U.S. provides, the author notes. He explains how American political and military systems have played an effective role in international conflict resolution, and ensured the free flow of international trade. The alternative to the role the U.S. plays in the world is not better global governance, but less of it -- and that would make the world a far more dangerous and less prosperous place.

9. SOVEREIGNTY AS RESPONSIBILITY
Amitai Etzioni
Orbis, Winter 2006, 15 pages.
Sovereignty as responsibility is a new normative principle of international order that says sovereign states not only have the right, but also the duty, to intervene in other states' internal affairs if those nations do not conduct their internal affairs in ways that meet internationally recognized standards. Although this principle has become more and more popular in recent years, the author argues that it opens a gaping hole in the foundation of democracy which cannot be ignored.

 

GLOBAL ISSUES AND ENVIRONMENT

10. PEAK OIL FORUM
Kjell Aleklett
World Watch, January/February 2006, 16 pages.
Oil accounts for one-third of global energy use and underpins the modern industrial way of life. Now that global oil production is nearing its peak (experts predict that the peak will arrive in the years 2008-2010), we have to find a plan to allocate this increasingly precious commodity, and think about alternative energy sources which are less expensive. Here, five experts discuss what life is like without cheap and abundant petroleum, and why should we start policy planning now if we want to mitigate the effects of an oil production decline.

11. FROM THE HEADWATERS TO THE SEA: THE CRITICAL NEED TO PROTECT FRESHWATER
Ecosystems
Susanne Stoll-Kleemann
Environment, December 2005, 14 pages.
Healthy freshwater ecosystems provide numerous life-support services, offering, for example, food, water supply for crop irrigation, and flood and storm damage mitigation. The key is to find innovative ways to protect them.

MEDIA, COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

12. THE INTERNET IS BROKEN
David Talbot
Technology Review, December 2005/January 2006, 7 pages.
Over the years, as Internet applications proliferated, companies and network engineers came up with ingenious and expedient patches, plugs, and workarounds. The result is a complex and convoluted affair which is difficult to manage and more fragile with each passing days. It also has fundamental flaws that can costs companies billions, impede innovation, and threaten national security. It's time for a clean-slate approach, the author declares.

13. INFORMATION ETHICS IN THE BUSINESS RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT
Roberta Brody
Online, January/February 2006, 4 pages.
Few business transactions do not either generate information or rely upon an exchange of information. The author examines elements of both applied business ethics and information ethics, and discusses the issues, dilemmas, and challenges stemming from the duties and tasks of business information professionals.

14. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: ONLINE MAPS FOR THE MASSES
Paula Berinstein
Searcher, January 2006, 10 pages.
Don't know how to use Google Earth and Google Map? Berinstein takes readers on a tour, gives good directions for how to use them to the maximum benefits, then provides a listing of and comparisons among various online map providers.

15. THE GOOGLE BOOK SEARCH PROJECT: IS ONLINE INDEXING A FAIR USE UNDER COPYRIGHT LAW?
Robin Jeweler
CRS Report for Congress, December 28, 2005, 6 pages.
Google, Inc. is digitally scanning the collections of several prominent libraries in order to create a vast searchable database of literary works.  Copyright holders who have not authorized and object to the digitization have filed suit against the company.  This report provides background on the pending litigation.

U.S. POLITICS, SOCIETY AND CULTURE

16. RELIGIOUS PROTECTION
Spencer Ackerman
The New Republic, December 12, 2005, 6 pages.
Why have so few American Muslims become terrorists? The author offers a surprising answer.

17. HIGHER EDUCATION IN 2015
Daniel Yankelovich
The Education Digest, January 2006, 11 pages.
Yankelovich investigates the future of higher education in 2015. He concludes that, realistically, higher education may not be very responsive to the larger society in the next decade. It has too many constituencies to satisfy, too many traditions, too many constraints on it to lend it the flexibility--or political will--to adapt rapidly to the outside world.

18. INSTITUTIONS, HISTORY, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Kenneth W. Dam
John M. Olin Law & Economics Working Paper #271, January 2006, 29 pages.
If one wants insight into how the developing world can attain Rule of Law, one good place to start would be to ask how countries in today's developed world did it. The author examines the Western European experience in legal institutional development, saying that if developed countries like the United States and Japan can succeed in such development despite historical, societal, or other differences from Western European nations, other countries can, too.

19. WHY FEDERALISM MATTERS
Pietro S. Nivola
Brookings Policy Brief #146, October 2005, 8 pages.
Federalism-- a political system permitting a large measure of regional self-rule—is supposed to be a preserver of (people's) liberties, and a vehicle for flexible response to their problems. But now, the promise and practice of federalism are frequently at odds. In this article, several supposed advantages of federalism are weighed.

20. CONTROLLING GLOBAL CORRUPTION: ARE WE THERE YET?
Michael Johnston
Current History, December 2005, 5 pages.
Political corruption has climbed back up the international policy agenda as it has became clear that in some regions corruption is linked with violence and with trafficking in drugs, arms, and human beings. The last two decades have seen a proliferation of advocacy, research, and reforms. The author provides a perspective on the fight against corruption, and discusses the effects of the global economy on it.

21. THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH AND PROPAGANDA: THE LIMITS OF LEGAL RESTRICTIONS
Kevin R. Kosar
Presidential Studies Quarterly, December 2005, 14 pages.
Kosar describes the difficulties in preventing federal agencies from using public funds to promote the agendas of presidents. The line between appropriate public relations and propaganda is not easily defined, he says, and the enforcement of laws against propaganda is tricky because of the separation of powers. He contends that congressional oversight is necessary to punish wayward agency behavior.

 

TRANSLATED DOCUMENTS

22. 2006 STATE OF THE UNION
32 pages
President Bush discussed America's leadership in the world and shared his vision to lead America forward. To seize opportunities here at home, the President outlined the policies needed for the American people to continue to compete in the global economy.

23. HOW SMALL BUSINESSES CONTRIBUTE TO U.S. ECONOMIC EXPANSION
Derek Leebaert, Professor of Government, Georgetown University
5 pages
Small businesses contribute significantly to the U.S. economy in innovation, in adaptability, and in job creation for women and minorities, as well as in distressed areas.

24. SMALL BUSINESS IN U.S. HISTORY
Christopher Conte, Freelance Writer and Former Editor and Reporter for The Wall Street Journal
4 pages
Small businesses built the United States in the country's first century; even today Americans hold high regard for small businesses, whose flexibility has provided lessons for big business.

25. GOVERNMENT'S ROLE IN ENCOURAGING SMALL BUSINESS
Steve Strauss, Lawyer, Author, Television Commentator, and USA Today Business Columnist.
4 pages
To encourage small business expansion, governments should make capital more accessible, facilitate business education, promote entrepreneurship, reduce regulatory burdens, and protect intellectual property.

26. AMERICAN BANKRUPTCY LAWS: ENCOURAGING RISK-TAKING AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Nathalie Martin, Dickason Professor of Law, University of New Mexico
4 pages
Unlike laws in most other countries, U.S. laws aim to eliminate shame from bankruptcy and encourage those who fail in business to make another try.

27. SO YOU WANT TO START YOUR OWN SMALL BUSINESS
Phil Holland, Founder of Yum Yum Donut Shops Inc. and Chairman of My Own Business Inc. 4 pages
Starting a small business requires, first, self-examination, then crucial decisions about what good or service to sell, how to get financing, whether to have a partner, and how to write a business plan.