| January-February 2006
Business | Bribery & Corruption | Intellectual Property | Labor & Employment | WTO
Industries: Automobiles | Banking
| Pharmaceutical Industry
Innovation: Biotechnology
| Science & Technology |
Space Research
B1 - Quack Corporate Governance
Romano, Roberta
Regulation, Winter 2005-06, pp36-44
"Sarbanes-Oxley may have satisfied a political need, but
it will do little to protect investors or strengthen the market...
The Sarbanes-Oxley act of 2002 (SOX), in which Congress introduced
a series of corporate governance initiatives into the federal
securities laws, is not just a considerable change in law, but
also a departure in the mode of regulation." Roberta
Romano is the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor of Law at Yale Law
School, where she specializes in financial market regulation and
corporate law and finance. Fulltext
B2 - Controlling Global Corruption: Are We There Yet?
Johnston, Michael
Current History, December 2005, pp. 425–429
The author considers how neoliberal reforms – intended to withdraw
government’s heavy hand from the marketplace and bring transparency
to developing countries‘ institutions – have in some cases lead
to new forms of corruption that place a dead weight on economic
performance, which only greater government intervention can remove.
(The article is fourth in a Current History series on worldwide
corruption.) Michael Johnston is professor of political and
social science at Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, one of the
leading liberal arts universities in the country. Request
Article
B3 - In Eastern Europe, Corruption in the Crosshairs
Karklins, Rasma
Current History, November 2005, pp374-370
Studies by the World Bank Institute and Transparency International
show comparatively high levels of corruption in the entire post-communist
region, although scores differ. What matters more than scores
and quantitative differences, however, is the type of corruption
practiced, because it takes many forms, some of which have much
worse political consequences than others. But voters have started
punishing crooked politicians and the author predicts that positive
changes are likely to occur during the next five years as the
new East European democracies mature and find their stride. (Third
in a series). Rasma Karklins is a professor of political science
at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Request
Article
B4 - Pay Up -- or You're Done For
Parloff, Roger
Fortune, December 12, 2005, v152, #12, pp29-32
"This article focuses on the four-year-old patent litigation
between NTP and Research in Motion (RIM), the maker of the BlackBerry.
RIM faces the real likelihood of a court-ordered BlackBerry blackout
unless it agrees to pay a sum named by NTP, which could approach
ten figures. The author asks if plaintiffs like NTP, who do not
market a competing product, should be entitled to an automatic
injunction shutting down a productive infringer such as RIM."
Fulltext
B5 - The Google Book Search Project:
Is Online Indexing a Fair Use Under Copyright Law?
Jeweler, Robin
Congressional Research Service Report, Released December 28,
2005
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. It
will be updated as judicial developments warrant. " Robin
Jeweler is a Legislative Attorney with the American Law Division.
Fulltext
B6 - How Good is the Economy at Creating Good Jobs?
Schmitt, John
Center for Economic and Policy Research, October 2005, 17p.
The U.S. economy is much richer today than it was at the end of
the 1970s. On a per person basis, inflation-adjusted national
income grew from about $24,000 in 1979 to about $38,500 in 2004.1
As a result, on average, Americans are 60 percent richer today
than they were at the end of the 1970s. The main question examined
in this report is how well the U.S. economy has done in converting
this economic bonanza into good jobs. The short answer is "not
very well." If we define a “good” job as one that pays at
least $16 dollars per hour, offers health insurance that is at
least
partly paid by the employer, and provides a pension plan, then
the share of U.S. workers in good jobs hardly changed between
1979 (24.6 percent) and 2004 (25.2 percent), despite the 60 percent
increase in income per person over the same period. John Schmitt
is an economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
Fulltext
B7 - Boxed In: Conflicts Between U.S. Farm Policies and
WTO Obligations
Sumner, Daniel A.
CATO Institute, Trade Policy Analysis, #32, December 5, 2005
“Farm subsidy programs have long been contentious both in domestic
policy debate and in global policy forums. Now a recent World
Trade Organization ruling against U.S. cotton subsidies has thrown
a spotlight on an additional problem: the conflict between U.S.
farm programs and the international obligations of the United
States as a member of the WTO.” Daniel A. Sumner is the director
of the University of California Agricultural Issues Center and
the Frank H. Buck, Jr. Professor in the Department of Agricultural
and Resource Economics, UC Davis. Fulltext
Industries:
AUTOMOBILES
B8 - The Crisis of the Global Auto Industry
and Its Implications for Labor and the "Social Contract
Roubini, Nouriel
RGE Monitor, February 5, 2006
"Among the issues discussed this year at Davos, one of the
important ones was how globalization will affect workers in the
advanced economies, specifically the crisis of the traditional
"social contract" that allowed blue collar workers in
the US and Europe to get high wages and benefits and thus join
the middle class. This social contract is now frayed, especially
in sectors that are subject to strong global competition. One
of these sectors is the automotive sector, traditionally a crucial
manufacturing sector in Europe, North America and Japan. The trouble
is that the global automotive industry - including both vehicle
producers and suppliers of auto parts - is in crisis and turmoil,
especially in North America but also in Europe." Nouriel
Roubinie, a Professor of Economics at the Stern School of Business
at New York University, is chairman of Roubini Global Economics.
Fulltext
B9 - The Road Ahead for the U.S. Auto Industry
Kennedy, Scott
U.S. Department of Commerce. International Trade Administration,
Manufacturing and Services, Office of Aerospace and Automotive
Industries, June 2005, 38p.
”In 2004, U.S. light vehicle sales were up slightly, reversing
a moderate slide that began in 2001. … Market analysts are forecasting
2005 sales to be approximately the same as 2004, with some predicting
a slight dip and other predicting a slight rise. An average of
multiple analysts’ views would put the market down slightly to
16.7 million units. … Many economic indicators for the coming
year are mixed.” This report provides a detailed forecast for
some facets of the automobile industry such as the domestic market,
production numbers, employment, and international trade. Fulltext
B10 - Contribution of Toyota to the Economies of Fourteen
States and the United States in 2003
Hill, Kim
CAR, Center for Automotive Research, Economics and Business
Group, June 2005, 49p.
“In 1957, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc. set up a small dealership
in Hollywood, California. By 1975, Toyota became the best selling
import brand in the United States. In 1986, Toyota began manufacturing
operations in the United States with General Motors at a joint-venture
manufacturing facility in Fremont, California. In 2004, Toyota
sold just over 2 million vehicles in the United States. This study
has two distinct purposes: (1) to estimate the employment and
economic contributions of Toyota’s manufacturer-related operations
… and dealer-related operations to the nation as a whole and fourteen
individual states, and (2) to forecast an estimate of the employment
and economic impact of the recently announced vehicle manufacturing
facility in San Antonio, Texas to the economy of the State of
Texas." Fulltext
B11 - The Green Revolution
U.S. Banker Magazine Online, December 2005
The article surveys and analyzes recent developments in the banking
industry, where more and more banks are adopting environmentally
and socially responsible banking practices. 87% of CEOs from 43
countries believe that environmental sustainability is important
to a company's profits. Bad environmental policies invite risk,
and banks start to use a broader definition of what it means to
have a retun on investment. With environmentally and socially
responsible finance increasing, industry observers wonder if banks
are forced by activists’ aggressive tactics to adopt policies
they may not be ready to abide by, and if profits are sacrificed
to principles. Fulltext
Pharmaceutical Industry
B12 - Innovation in Pharmaceuticals: Speeding Up the
Development of New Cures
Herson, Jay
The Futurist, January/February 2006, v40, #1, pp25-30
”The number of applications by pharmaceutical firms to regulatory
agencies for new molecular entities to treat disease has been
in decline worldwide since 1997. Developing a really new pharmaceutical
product has become increasingly challenging and costly. Through
2015, most of the Fortune 200 pharmaceutical companies will concentrate
on clinical development and in-licensing NMEs from smaller companies
around the world. By 2040, the pharmaceutical industry will move
to other developing countries with skilled scientific labor pools.
In the next decade, a new "clinical nursery" (CN) will
rise. The CNs will contract with venture capitalists, who will
form companies and secure intellectual property rights. By 2030,
drugs would be individualized according to a patient's genome.
Pharmaceutical firms may find themselves less profitable or with
limited growth opportunities under these scenarios. The next 35
years will likely see increased innovation in drug development
through market forces rather than legislation.”
Jay Herson is a member of the adjunct faculty in biostatistics
at Johns Hopkins University. Fulltext
Innovation:
Biotechnology
B13 - Who’s Afraid of Human Enhancement? A
Reason Debate on the Promise, Perils, and Ethics of Human
Biotechnology
Reason, January 2006, Online, various pagings
This is an edited transcript of a panel discussion organized by
Reason’s chief editor Nick Gillespie. He brought together
a group of biotechnology pundits who discuss the pros and cons
of human biotechnology. Nick Gillespie in his introductory remarks:
“What was once the province of science fiction—human beings augmented
to such a degree that they become ‘post-human’—is rapidly becoming
fact.” By sketching out scenarios of our future ways of life,
the panelists debate the merits or horrors of this progress. Easy
to understand examples and a lively presentation make this online
report a valuable contribution to the biotechnology discussion.
Fulltext
B14 - Crossing The Gene Barrier
Weintraub, Arlene
Business Week, January 16, 2006, Issue 3967, 7p
“In the business of biotech, chimeras -- a creature that bears
the cells of two or more species -- are about as close to science
fiction as you can get. People have been crossing critters for
centuries -- yielding everything from mules to labradoodles. But
jumping the gene barrier by giving animals copies of human genes
is more sensational… This is the story of two scientists, Harry
M. Meade and Nils Lonberg, who are toiling on the fringes of biotechnology.
Their paths crossed 20 years ago, setting them on a quest to alter
the age-old partnership between man and beast by mixing genes
to concoct new medicines. Since then the two have pursued their
goal on separate but parallel tracks….” Fulltext
Science & Technology
B15 - Who Will Control the Internet?
Kenneth Neil Cukier
Foreign Affairs, Nov/Dec 2005, v84, #6, pp7
The author focuses on “Washington's attempt to settle a crucial
problem of twenty-first-century global governance: Who controls
the Internet? The controversy over who controls the Internet has
simmered in insular technology-policy circles for years and more
recently has crept into formal diplomatic talks. Many governments
feel that, like the phone network, the Internet should be administered
under a multilateral treaty.” Kenneth Neil Cukier covers technology
and regulatory issues for The Economist. Fulltext
Space Research
B16 - Spirits Soar
Covault, Craig
Aviation Week & Space Technology, November 21, 2005, v
163, # 20, pp48-53
"The rover Spirit, completing work atop the ridgeline
of a Martian mountain, epitomizes the extraordinary exploration
continuing on Mars. The human/robotic rover team is redefining
the already formidable performance envelope of the $800-million
vehicles as the rovers are being pushed to more complex robotic
science and driving operations against increasingly challenging
terrain.” Fulltext
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