Globalización

The author describes incentives used by governments to attract foreign investment and create export processing zones (EPZs), also known as special economic or free trade zones. The low cost of labour, mostly provided by women, is one of these incentives. Making special reference to Jamaica, Belize, and Barbados, the author discusses the impact of EPZs on the Caribbean, and the challenges facing small countries in the face of monopoly agreements.

Los autores exploran los efectos perjudiciales de la globalización económica en la gente en los Estados Unidos, y explican el surgimiento de las organizaciones de gente pobre como respuesta a dichas condiciones. Observan el impacto de los cambios económicos en términos de la política pública, y argumentan que la economía global impide que un número creciente de personas puedan satisfacer sus necesidades básicas por la limitación o la eliminación tanto de los trabajos que dan salarios de vida como de los programas de bienestar.

The authors report on this workshop, held at the Flood Hazard Research Centre at Middlesex University, which brought together participants experienced in each of these three fields to share their knowledge and enrich each other's understanding. There was debate on the social factors which make communities vulnerable to hazards, including consideration of human rights, environmental sustainability, and the extent of our definition of vulnerability, as well as how `globalisation' can either enhance or threaten the ability of groups to cope with hazards.

The author reports on this conference arranged by the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London, England, in April 1998, ostensibly to agree on ways forward for socially responsible enterprise and corporate accountability. Participants were overwhelmingly business leaders and academics, and the author found challenging views were not particularly in evidence; it became clear that the issues under discussion were too complex for a consensus to be reached at this time, and by these representatives.

Los autores comienzan a señalar la épica que se desenvuelve ahora a nivel de base, argumentando que los movimientos sociales pioneros están buscando a tientas su liberación del `Proyecto Global' que está siendo impuesto sobre ellos. Yendo mas allá de las premisas y las promesas de la modernidad, el pueblo a nivel de base esta re-inventando o creando nuevos marcos intelectuales e institucionales.

El Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD) ha promovido el llamado `Impuesto de Tobin' como un mecanismo significativo para generar un incremento sustancial de los recursos globales destinados a enfrentar las prioridades de desarrollo humano. Dicho impuesto, que surge de transacciones internacionales especulativas e improductivas, sería capaz de generar más de 300,000 millones de U$D por año: superando varias veces los niveles actuales de ayuda bilateral.

The authors describe the extent of the trade in mainly rural Nepalese women, sold into prostitution and bonded labour in Asia and the Middle East, often by their families, because of poverty. The organisation Women Acting Together for Change (WATCH) works for and with these women, aiming to empower victims and to change the way women are perceived in Nepalese society and law. This article is freely available as a chapter in Development with Women.

La Comisión Europea y demás países de la OCDE desean un tratado de inversión extranjera (o ‘acuerdo de inversión multilateral’) con la Organización Mundial del Comercio (OMC). Ello les permitiría a las compañias extranjeras establecerse con un 100 por ciento de equidad en todos los sectores (con excepción de la seguridad) en cualquier país de la OMC; y recibir ‘tratamiento nacional’ a la par de firmas locales. Las políticas nacionales que favorecen las empresas locales van a ser consideradas discriminatorias y por lo tanto ilegales bajo las reglas de la OMC.

The authors discuss the feelings, status, and working conditions of women in factories making garments for export. Many legal requirements under the 1965 Factory Act (child care facilities, maternity leave, length of working hours, holiday entitlement) are rarely observed, workers are often unaware of their legal rights, and factory owners argue that such provisions would involve expenses which would nullify Bangladesh's low-wage advantage over other exporters.

The author argues that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), rather than NGOs, are the most cost-effective and efficient ways of developing and distributing new technology to end users (the poor).