The Race to the Bottom: Why a Worldwide Worker Surplus and Uncontrolled Free Trade are Sinking American Living Standards

Book Description

A leading economic journalist explains why Washington's responses to globalization have created a global worker surplus that undermines both American workers and those in developing nations.

As evidenced by the WTO riots in Seattle in December 1999, there is a volatile debate among Americans over how the new world economy affects our standards of living and our country's chances for future prosperity. With giant multinational companies based in the U.S. and other wealthy countries transferring ever more factories and labs to poorer countries, the fear is that slave-wage workers overseas are undermining the bargaining power of labor in the industrialized world.

In this book Alan Tonelson explains how a competition has emerged in which countries with the weakest workplace safety laws, the lowest taxes, and the toughest unionization laws win investment from American and European countries. Tonelson argues that this "race to the bottom" of labor standards has been the driving force behind the decline of American living standards for the past quarter century, and, as we have already begun to see, will cause even bigger problems for the worldwide economy as it continues.

Tonelson analyzes how the entry of such population giants as China, India, and Brazil into the global market have added fuel to the eroding labor standards. He reveals how an ever larger share of the foreign competition faced by American laborers is hitting not just fields such as apparel and toys, but many of America's highest wage industries such as aerospace and software. And he describes how the reeducation and retraining programs that political leaders say is the remedy to the problem will do nothing to help most Americans cope with competition from the global workforce.

A lively, provocative guide to the new global economy, The Race to the Bottom fills the gap of hard evidence in readable form in the globalization debate, providing the guidebook that American workers have been waiting for, and the indictment that our economic and policy establishments have been dreading.

Customer Reviews:

Dated would like to see a new updated edition.......2007-01-02

I'd like to see this book be updated so that it addresses current conditions, as it is now quite dated. Many of the premises have not come to pass, although some have. The global economy is booming, but how is the U.S. economy really doing considering the savings rate in the U.S. was below 0 last year and the trade deficit is so large? Unemployment in the U.S. is down, but what is the nature of the jobs workers in the U.S. are doing now, in comparison to the nature of those jobs when the book was first written? What predictions have come to pass and which ones have not come to pass?

Real free trade is based on comparative advantage,not absolute advantage and offsets.......2006-01-17

Tonelson has done an excellent job of empirically demonstrating the irreparable harm being done to the American industrial manufacturing sector, resulting from the pseudo-free trade argument that currently masquerades by the name of globalization.The entire globalization argument rests on an appeal to absolute advantage(for example,American firms should locate their factories and production facilities where labor costs are the lowest).Free trade is based on comparative advantage,not absolute advantage.American firms are free to locate production facilities in foreign countries as long as the output produced from these facilities is used to supply the foreign market.The output can't be shipped back to the home market without violating the basic rules of comparative advantage.Any requirement by a foreign country that ,in order for American firms to locate production facilities in that country,the American firms must hand over or share their technological breakthroughs,inventions,patents,or innovations involves a direct violation of the theory of trade between counties based on the existing comparative advantages that exist in both countries industries.Unfortunately,Tonelson does not spell this out clearly,although his discussions on pp.97-98 demonstate that the correct definition of comparatve advantage has been replaced by one that has no connection to the meaning of the term as used by Adam Smith or David Ricardo.I have deducted one star for this omission.

Kaleem needs and education!.......2005-12-04

Kaleem 9984....LOL....THIS dudes a hypocrit! First of all...a foreigner (who's probably an Indian programmer) is not a impartial reviewer. I am a programmer and work with numerous foreigners...BTW they are not as talented as rumor has it. They frequently lie on their resumes to get into positions and...as evidenced by the exporation of NUMEROUS PROGRAMMING jobs back to India...they are not loyal to this country or any corporation that hired them on the H1b visa (a political bill that was fronted by american corporations). This book however...is right on target.

Kaleem should speak in terms of the substance of the book..and not of other reviewers who may differ from his opinion. I believe, as many americans, that we should no longer import items from other countries...we don't need them.

Whats wrong with amazon.......2005-11-11

Whats wrong with Amazon how could they put review by this person - " John W. Runyan III "Too much time on my hands " in spotlight. It's clearly evident he is one of those people who have some small town mentality, come with a preconceived opinion which will never change and probably didnt read the book and wrote a review.

By the way talking of indian programmers, I am a development manager and work with lots of them. They are helping our economy in many ways. I seen that most americans do not go to school, do not have strong mathematical background, do not have strong analytical skills, this is where the indians are useful. Most of them I see have their Master's degree and often have strong engineering backgrounds. If you are a programmer you would know how useful these skills can be. In my experience americans are generally good with the quality-assurance, management level or business side of work. Leave the hard-core intense programming to the foreigners, they seem to do it better.

No better book for understanding the truth about "free trade.......2004-08-05

I have ready many books about globalization and its effects, but Alan Tonelson's "The Race to the Bottom: Why a Worldwide Worker Surplus and Uncontrolled Free Trade are Sinking American Living Standards" is the ONLY book to explain the truth behind globalization. If the US public understood just simple facts, like the difference between producer goods and consumer goods, it would be clear why the US has the most massive trade deficit in history; and the US public would demand that congress act to stop the fast track legislation given to the president. (This is being carried out now by Bush, but was negotiated under Clinton. In other words, both parties are complicit in the destruction of the US middle class.)

As Tonelson says, "Current globalization policies have plunged the great majority of U.S. workers into a great worldwide race to the bottom, into a no-win scramble for work and livelihoods with hundreds of millions of their already impoverished counterparts across the globe. In addition, by sapping the earnings power of U.S. consumers, who are almost single-handedly propping up the world economy despite their sagging earnings, continuing this race could all too easily bring the global financial house of cards tumbling down."

Tonelson doesn't merely make a statement like this, he proves it with expert economic analysis that he explains clearly to the lay public.

Read this book and act on it, before the U.S. middle-class is further eroded.

Book Description

This book breaks new ground regarding organizational development providing a road map for business leaders to achieve ROI targets related to training & development. It uses three symbols, a water treatment plant, a relay race, and an anchor chain to metaphorically represent how businesses change and grow. The discussions regarding handoffs between the various stakeholders involved with development provide insights into the complexity of human performance that stretches beyond the boundaries of Performance-Based Training methodologies.

Each chapter follows a consistent format starting with a discussion of new elements of the Results-Based Development (RBD) process. Case studies are used to demonstrate relevance of the material discussed and to further illustrate key messages. At the end of each chapter is a list of symptoms that emerge when elements of RBD are overlooked or are being implemented ineffectively. That allows you to conduct a high-level assessment of your development process as you journey through the book.

Chapter 1 introduces us to RBD, a four stage circular process that:

* Defines business objectives,
* Provides supervisor support to motivate learners before attending training,
* Provides relevant training, and
* Provides supervisory follow through for learners after attending training.

To demonstrate the collaborative effort required to achieve bottom line results from development initiatives, RBD is portrayed as an Anchor. In this metaphor, the links that anchor RBD to business objectives are the unique groups of people who play primary and support roles in the RBD process. Those groups are referred collectively as the target audience. Performance-Based Training (PBT) strengthens the individual links in the chain by training job-relevant skills and behaviors, and by building learner confidence. However, when the target audience is inadequately defined, some links in the chain can remain weakened, placing the ship, the business objectives, in jeopardy.

You will find that RBD goes upstream to describe gaps between current and desired states of organizational development in terms of people, processes, and technology. Chapters 2-4 establish the legitimacy of taking this comprehensive approach and reinforce the need to implement integrated and multi-tiered performance solutions. In Chapter 5, a performance strategy, modeled from strategies used by sales and operations, is developed to provide a framework for implementing RBD. Specific requirements for each stage of the RBD process are described in Chapters 6-9, with Chapter 10 focusing on an overall implementation strategy. As a supplement, the Appendix offers guidance on how to establish development standards.

Customer Reviews:

Results-Based Development - Review.......2003-07-01

Finally, someone has written a book that provides detailed directions on how to hold training & development departments fiscally accountable. Michael Austin dispels the myth that training departments cannot document return on investment objectively. To me as an Accounting Manager with more than 20 years experience, this is welcomed news. My past experience includes involvement with many financial and software conversion projects that undoubtedly would have been far more accountable had many of the concepts presented in this book been adopted by my employer.

If you have budgetary responsibilities, Results-Based Development is a book you will want to buy for your training manager with one caveat, read it first! Austin doesn't pull any punches. He presents a comprehensive strategy for developing employees that define responsibilities for everyone in the organization.

The book is an easy read, but it is deceptively complex. The best part of every chapter is the case study at the end. It is clear that Austin has the experience to back up what he says.

Mark Baumgarten
Accounting Manager
GPX, Inc.

The End of a Search for Relevance.......2003-06-27

As a small business owner, I have searched long and hard for books that will help me set up a development program for my employees. My search has turned up everything from academic gobbledygook written without any clear relation to the real world, all the way to bromide filled nonsense written in such a simplistic manner that there is no clear relation to the real world. The one thing they all seem to have in common is that they present development models that only work under perfect conditions. What I like about Results-Based Development is that it describes an approach that fits in with the imperfect and dynamic landscape of real world organizations. The case studies at the end of each chapter are recognizable for any organization, large or small; and the skills are transferable. Also, the monthly newsletter that I signed up for at the website listed in the book has the makings of a great tool to aid in skill transference.

The writing is reminiscent of Blanchard's "One Minute" books with the emphasis given to collaboration, goal setting, evaluation, and most importantly, pacing. Also, performance-based training fans will feel at home with the emphasis on performance as a primary measure of effectiveness. Michael Austin may well have given us the next gold standard by which to measure all organizational development initiatives.

Results-Based Development.......2003-06-02

Michael Austin compares his results-Based Training Development strategies to running four legs of a relay race. He uses entertaining analogies, stimulating diagrams, and straightforward common sense to guide you through this process. Not only will you learn how to run, but also when to pass the baton. From large corporations to small businesses, these step by step instructions will provide personnel at all levels the necessary tools and insights to ensure your company can gain the competitive edge by operating at full efficiency.

Book Description

Travel anywhere in the southern United States, and you will find pecan trees. So popular are pecans that Thomas Jefferson once wrote home from Paris for a supply, while many people today consider their holidays incomplete without a pecan pie. This inviting book explores the natural history, cultivation, and uses of the pecan tree for a general readership. Jane Manaster pieces together a fascinating mosaic of the peoples caught up in the pecan story--Native Americans, Spanish explorers, European immigrants and their American descendants, African-Americans, and Mexican-Americans. Manaster also describes the natural history of the pecan tree, including its life cycle, the development of many cultivated species, and predators and diseases of the pecan. She chronicles growers' successes in extending the pecan's original range eastward from the Mississippi basin to Florida and westward to California. And she charts the growth of the commercial pecan industry, especially in Georgia, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Not forgetting the pecan's popularity in candy and baked goods, Manaster includes over twenty traditional and modern recipes for such delights as pralines, candied pecans, pecan pie, and pecan logs. With such a wealth of information in so readable a format, The Pecan Tree will find a wide audience among pecan lovers and growers everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

A nice little book.......2000-10-27

This book apparently is written for the housewife who likes serving pecan nuts or likes baking pecan pies and wants to have some background information. It is very nicely printed, nicely bound and nicely written, with brief easy-to-digest chapters.

There is a modest number of recipes, and a modest bit of natural history. Most of the book is on the history of the pecan growing industry, with a select few historical b&w photographs, and plenty of historical tidbits. This book will make a lovely gift.

My major criticism is that the pecan tree, as a tree, is almost lost from sight, with only a single color picture of a tree and no picture of leaves or flowers (however, nuts are featured infull color). Also the bit on the botanical name is ... Well, let's say if it was a recipe it would yield an inedible product.

Average customer rating:
THE PECAN TREE (Gordon of Sesame Street tells a story)
Matt Robinson
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Sesame Street | TV | Popular Characters | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0394823281
Release Date: 1971-10-12

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The Pecan Tree: A True Friend
Barbara Langham
Manufacturer: B.A. Langham
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Agriculture | Science, Nature & How It Works | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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jp-unknown2 | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0964080400

Book Description

The only children's book about the State Tree of Texas. Perfect for teaching children grades K-5 in curriculum units on Texas. Nonfiction book, 35 pages, describes how the deathbed wish of a former Texas governor led to naming the pecan the state tree; how pecans provided food for Indians, early explorers, settlers, and the astronauts; how pecans grow from leaf buds and catkins to mature nuts; how pecans are harvested and shelled; and how to plant a pecan tree.Full-color photos and historic pictures, with bibliography. Includes 3 recipes for children to make.

Indianola Pecan House reaps accolades from Southern Living: Delta business ranks as one of magazine's 'Favorites.'.: An article from: Mississippi Business Journal

Average customer rating:

Indianola Pecan House reaps accolades from Southern Living: Delta business ranks as one of magazine's 'Favorites.'.: An article from: Mississippi Business Journal
Becky Gillette
Manufacturer: Venture Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0009GR7MY
Release Date: 2005-08-01

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Mississippi Business Journal, published by Venture Publications on November 29, 2004. The length of the article is 1006 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Indianola Pecan House reaps accolades from Southern Living: Delta business ranks as one of magazine's 'Favorites.'.
Author: Becky Gillette
Publication: Mississippi Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 29, 2004
Publisher: Venture Publications
Volume: 26 Issue: 48 Page: 15(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Pecan yields appear worse than expected. : An article from: Mississippi Business Journal

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Pecan yields appear worse than expected. : An article from: Mississippi Business Journal
Linda Breazeale
Manufacturer: Venture Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Mississippi Business Journal, published by Venture Publications on November 1, 2004. The length of the article is 546 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Pecan yields appear worse than expected.
Author: Linda Breazeale
Publication: Mississippi Business Journal (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2004
Publisher: Venture Publications
Volume: 26 Issue: 44 Page: 27(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Pecans Add Taste, Lower Cholesterol.(Brief Article): An article from: Food Ingredient News

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Pecans Add Taste, Lower Cholesterol.(Brief Article): An article from: Food Ingredient News

Manufacturer: Business Communications Company, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Science | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Food Ingredient News, published by Business Communications Company, Inc. on October 1, 2001. The length of the article is 424 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Pecans Add Taste, Lower Cholesterol.(Brief Article)
Publication: Food Ingredient News (Newsletter)
Date: October 1, 2001
Publisher: Business Communications Company, Inc.
Volume: 9 Issue: 10 Page: NA

Article Type: Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Safety-net role of tree roots: evidence from a pecan (Carya illinoensis K. Koch)-cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) alley cropping system in the southern United ... article from: Forest Ecology and Management]

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Safety-net role of tree roots: evidence from a pecan (Carya illinoensis K. Koch)-cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) alley cropping system in the southern United ... article from: Forest Ecology and Management]
S.C. Allen , S. Jose , P.K.R. Nair , B.J. Brecke , and Nke
Manufacturer: Elsevier
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000RR0YES

Book Description

This digital document is a journal article from Forest Ecology and Management, published by Elsevier in 2004. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Media Library immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Description:
Excessive application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer in commercial agriculture and forestry can result in leaching of nitrate (NO"3-N) into surface and subsurface drainage water. Temperate alley cropping is considered to be a potentially useful land use practice for mitigating this problem because deep roots of trees could serve as a ''safety net'' for capturing the N that is leached below the root zone of crops. This hypothesis was tested in a pecan (Carya illinoensis K. Koch)-cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) alley cropping system in northwestern Florida from June 2001 to August 2002. A belowground polyethylene root barrier was used to isolate tree roots from cotton alleys in half the number of test plots in order to provide two treatments-barrier and non-barrier. Soil water nutrient concentrations were quantified 1-2 times monthly from lysimeter water samples collected from two depths (0.3 and 0.9m) at specific distances (1.5, 4.2 and 8.4m from tree) in alley rows. Using this data, nutrient leaching rates were calculated using water drainage estimates derived from the LEACHMN soil modeling program. Overall, ammonium concentrations in soil solution were found to be close to the minimum limit of detection, a result similar to other lysimetric studies. Nitrate concentrations varied by depth but not by treatment in both growing seasons, with 0.9m levels being significantly lower than 0.3m levels. However, N leaching rates were found to be lower in the non-barrier treatment compared to barrier treatment, and also lower at 0.9m depths in both treatments compared to 0.3m depths. Cumulative amounts of nitrate leached during the study period were 63.83 and 13.05kgha^-^1 for 0.3 and 0.9m depths, respectively, in non-barrier treatment, compared to 121.94 and 45.56kgha^-^1 for respective depths in barrier treatment, representing a significant reduction in total NO"3-N leached at both depths. Hence, it is likely that tree roots were able to capture N in the non-barrier treatment, resulting in lower rates of leaching below the root zone. Further, tree water uptake, in addition to cotton water uptake in the non-barrier treatment, may have decreased water drainage in comparison to the barrier treatment, thereby influencing leaching rates. It appears that tree roots play a significant role in alleviating groundwater nitrate leaching through their safety-net role in temperate alley cropping systems.

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45 years of growing pecans
George James
Manufacturer: G. & E. James
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B00072XPH6

Average customer rating:

Perfect for night time use

Very good but has a couple flaws

Sky Atlas 2000.0, 2nd Field Unlaminated Version
Wil Tirion , and Roger W. Sinnott
Manufacturer: Sky Publishing Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Turn Left at Orion: A Hundred Night Sky Objects to See in a Small Telescope--and How to Find Them

Sky Atlas 2000.0 Companion, 2nd Edition

Burnham's Celestial Handbook: An Observer's Guide to the Universe Beyond the Solar System (Volume 3)

ASIN: 0933346891

Book Description

The standard against which all other star atlases are measured, this best-selling atlas has been completely revised and updated! Each version of Sky Atlas 2000.0 contains 26 charts covering the whole sky and showing 81,312 single, multiple, and variable stars of magnitude 8.5 and brighter and 2,700 deep-sky objects. Includes close-up charts of such areas as the celestial poles and the Virgo-Coma galaxy region, as well as an acetate coordinate-grid overlay for determining accurate positions. A must for any stargazer!

Field Unlaminated Version: Stars and deep sky objects are white on a black background. Unbound and printed on heavy paper.

Customer Reviews:

Perfect for night time use.......2006-11-10

This is great for use at night, especially at a dark sky site. The maps on the field version are white stars on a black background. The magnitude range is useful for naked eye up to medium apeture telescopes. Enought deep sky object to keep you busy tracking them down for decades. The charts break up the sky into handy sized areas.

Very good but has a couple flaws.......2006-08-12

For years the Sky Atlas 2000.0 has been the most popular atlas step up from a 6th magnitude atlas. The 8th magnitude limit is deep enough to enable users to find Neptune and the brighter asteroids. The large charts, while they can be a bit awkward to handle, are great to view, as they show wide swaths of sky.

The Second Edition brought some significant improvements: a useful step up to magnitude 8.5, galaxy shapes which show size and orientation, better representation of star magnitude, detailed charts of the Orion region and Virgo Galaxy Cluster. If you are debating between a used First Edition and a new Second Edition, get the Second; it's worth the extra money.

A few shortcomings remain. The charts are arranged in ascending order of right ascension. This presents problems with editions which are bound on the left side. When users reach the right edge of the chart, they have to stifle the instinct to continue right to the next page, force themselves to reverse direction, and turn--of all places--to the previous page instead. The same with the left edge. Charts should be ordered in descending RA like Uranometria or Millennium. Ordering by ascending RA is a pointless tradition.

Some of the versions are bound at the top, which solves the problem of the chart sequence--and makes the book less floppy to handle--but makes it harder to search for charts. Since the chart number is at the top right, the user cannot see what page they have their fingers on until the book is completely open.

The pages of the laminated versions are very sturdy for field use but hard to grasp and separate, especially when moist with dew. This and the previous problem could be solved by adding numbered, graspable tabs to the bottom of each chart.

A badly-needed improvement to the atlas came in a subsequent printing of the second edition: around the edges of each chart are noted the numbers of the charts which adjoin it. This greatly simplifies navigation through the atlas. It would be good to take this measure a step further and, on each chart, mark adjacent chart borders as well to save guesswork as to where each one ends and the next begins.

The many virtues of this atlas have been amply documented by other reviewers. The space I have spent on the shortcomings is simply an attempt to round out the picture. The many improvements already made to this work speak well of the publisher's commitment to an excellent atlas. The Sky 2000.0 is now only a couple steps short.

So which atlas to choose for your observations? I would completely ignore the 6th magnitude atlases on the market. For a beginning to intermediate observer, the magnitude 7.6 Pocket Sky Atlas is very well designed and affordable. For intermediate observing, the Sky Atlas 2000.0 is an excellent choice. For advanced observers who frequently go deep, I would suggest skipping the Sky Atlas and bringing both the Pocket and the Millennium along on outings.

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