The US president issued a proclamation expanding limits for foreign workers, including a suspension on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign scholars and employees for tech firms. The block will not extend to current visa holders, but that does not ease their uncertainty. “The Trump...
Many countries in the world are undergoing demographic transition, with fertility rates below replacement level for more than 80 nations, about half of the world’s population. Women are choosing to have fewer children for many reasons related to financial and personal costs as well as uncertainty...
Falling population, dropping support: A sharp drop in population is reported for Ukraine, and the United States is among the nations with low public spending for family benefits
NEW YORK: The fertility rate, or the average number of births per woman...
Trade – along with the accompanying fears over foreign competition, job loss and reduced wages – is a hot issue for the US presidential campaign and elections elsewhere. Ajai Gaur and Ram Mudambi, professors of international business strategy at Rutgers University and Temple University, analyze...
Taken for granted: Foreign firms, including a Toyota plant in Kentucky, pay high wages and link local firms to global value chains, top; US manufacturers like Boeing both export and import
NEWARK, PHILADELPHIA: Trade typically figures prominently in...
The world confronts unsustainable population growth. Some researchers suggest that a population based on two people per arable hectare is sustainable, and with 1.6 million arable hectares, the planet can support 3.2 billion people, less than half the current population. The planet's population...
A good life: The world is on track for more than 10 billion people by the century’s end even as fertility slows – Iran halved fertility within 10 years, left, while Africa will represent half of the world’s population growth by 2050 (Source: Reuters...
Societies are desperate to discover a cure for deadly Covid-19. In Southeast Asia, governments scramble to contain the health and economic fallout, trying a range of top-down biomedical measures, including testing and physical distancing. Some leaders and citizens also endorse unproven and non-...
Rush for cures: Traditional medicines take root on the internet for warding off Covid-19 – Indonesians tout the herbal drink of jamu and musicians in Cambodia assist spiritual healers (Source: Matador Network; Southeast Asia Globe)
NEW HAVEN:...
Crises tend to identify leaders while exposing the strengths and weaknesses of organizations. The Covid-19 pandemic should have been a straightforward apolitical challenge, with societies rallying around the world’s top public health recommendations. Yet masks and social distancing have polarized...
One threat, divided response: A close relationship between World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Chinese President Xi Jinping is among the reasons for deadlock at the UN Security Council (Source: Naohiko Hatta, AP...
Scientists have long warned that temperatures will soar and people swelter as rising levels of greenhouse gases lead to global warming. However, new evidence suggests that these conclusions were somewhat off-base. Instead of sweating, people around the world may soon be shivering as high...
If you can remember back to the bitter winters of the late 1970s and early 80s you might also recall that there was much discussion in scientific circles at the time about whether or not the freezing winter conditions...
Women have made great strides in education, employment, politics and equality in general worldwide, but participation in the labor force remains stubbornly below those of men. “By and large, a substantial proportion of mothers withdraw from employment after childbirth,” explains demography expert...
Homebound: Women’s participation in the workplace is growing around the world, but in both advanced and developing nations, some mothers feel pressure to stay at home
NEW YORK: Despite noteworthy progress achieved in gender equality, especially in...