Enslaved to Fashion: Corporations, Consumers, and the Campaign for Worker Rights in the Global Economy

A review of Levi’s Children: Coming to Terms with Human Rights in the Global Marketplace by Karl Schoenberger. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2000. 288pp. Levi’s Children presents a sobering account of the tribulations of a transnational corporation with a heart trying its best to navigate honorably the polluted moral waters of the global economy. San Francisco-based Levi Strauss and Company, maker of the iconic Levi’s jeans and other apparel, sought to maintain a commitment to social responsibility in the face of intensifying financial pressures to do otherwise. Author Karl Schoenberger puts this account to good effect, illuminating the extraordinary obstacles facing the Seattle protestors and activists worldwide who hope to marshal the forces of the global economy toward the aim of promoting human rights

Should Economists Deceive? Prosocial Lying, Paternalism, and the ‘Ben Bernanke Problem’

A widely held principle in professional ethics, across the professions, is the duty to speak truthfully when engaging in professional activity. Expert truth-telling has come to be recognized as vital to the Kantian respect that is due to clients and others who must act based on professional advice; and to the imperative to sustain trust. It is therefore notable that economics does not generally require truth telling among its members. Against truth telling, in cases where what an economist says can impact social welfare, the profession tends toward “prosocial lying”—lying that is thought to be in society’s best interests. The case of central banker statements is paradigmatic. Would economists have preferred that Ben Bernanke tell the truth about the threats to the US and world economy in the early days of the crisis of 2008, when doing so might have destabilized financial markets further? But prosocial lying comes at a cost to the profession, and to society. Not least, prosocial lying reflects a paternalistic ethos that has by now been challenged in other professions; and the prevalence of prosocial lying may undermine trust—both among economists, and between economists and those economists purport to serve

Achieving Ethical Trade through Social Tariffs: The SITS Regime

In the 1990s many heterodox economists joined labor, human rights and environmental advocates in calling for the inclusion of binding labor and environmental standards in trade agreements, along with other measures to ensure that deepening economic integration would serve the goals of promoting human development. Neoclassical trade theorists universally opposed these measures, arguing that countries’ choices over standards represented an entirely legitimate source of comparative advantage. In the end, the free traders prevailed. Over the past five years several mainstream trade theorists have reversed course, and begun to call for fair trade. In this context, fair trade is back on the policy agenda. This paper explores the fair trade proposals that emerged in the 1990s, and counterpoises the multilateral Social Index Tariff Structure (SITS) as an alternative fair trade regime. A SITS regime seeks to protect high standards in those countries where they prevail, while providing both the incentives and means for countries that perform poorly in this regard to improve their standards over time. This working paper explores the construction of a hypothetical SITS regime; estimates the effects of the regime on bilateral trade flows; and generates estimates of the development funds that SITS would make available to promote human development in low-income countries. The authors find that a global system of social tariffs that are very small in magnitude would generate new, substantial and stable flows of development funds while incentivizing a race to the top in labor and environmental standards.

Global Economic Liberalism and the Fate of the State(Part I : Globalization and the Transformation of Governance,)

This article tries to explore the conceptual foundation of the ""fate of the state"" in times of global economic liberalization by examining the meaning and relationship between ""state sovereignty,"" ""policy autonomy"" and ""state capacity."" It concludes that although sovereignty per se in not at stake, it is certainly true that global economic liberalization might create a tension between effective policy autonomy, state capacity and the preservation of states\u27freedom to act unilaterally. It is, therefore, no wonder that many social democrats have become suspicious of multilateralism. However, multilateralism can, and should be used just as effectively to resist liberalism as to promote it

Modification of Cul1 regulates its association with proteasomal subunits

BACKGROUND: Ubiquitylation targets proteins for degradation by the 26S proteasome. Some yeast and plant ubiquitin ligases, including the highly conserved SCF (Skp1/Cul1/F-box protein) complex, have been shown to associate with proteasomes. We sought to characterize interactions between SCF complexes and proteasomes in mammalian cells. RESULTS: We found that the binding of SCF complexes to proteasomes is conserved in higher eukaryotes. The Cul1 subunit associated with both sub-complexes of the proteasome, and high molecular weight forms of Cul1 bound to the 19S proteasome. Cul1 is ubiquitylated in vivo. Ubiquitylation of Cul1 promotes its binding to the S5a subunit of the 19S sub-complex without affecting Cul1 stability. CONCLUSION: The association of ubiquitylating enzymes with proteasomes may be an additional means to target ubiquitylated substrates for degradation

Proteasome-Mediated Degradation of p21 via N-Terminal Ubiquitinylation

AbstractWe examined the mechanism responsible for the degradation of p21, a negative regulator of the cell division cycle. We found that p21 proteolysis requires functional ubiquitin and Nedd8 systems. Ubiquitinylated forms of p21 and p21(K0), a p21 mutant missing all lysines, are detected in vivo and in vitro, showing that the presence of lysines is dispensable for p21 ubiquitinylation. Instead, the free amino group of the N-terminal methionine of p21 is a site for ubiquitinylation in vivo. Although wild-type p21 is more abundantly ubiquitinylated than p21(K0) mutant due to the presence of internal lysine residues, their rates of proteolysis are indistinguishable. These results demonstrate that proteasomal degradation of p21 is regulated by the ubiquitin pathway and suggest that the site of the ubiquitin chain is critical in making p21 a competent substrate for the proteasome

Multiple Autism-Linked Genes Mediate Synapse Elimination via Proteasomal Degradation of a Synaptic Scaffold PSD-95

SummaryThe activity-dependent transcription factor myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) induces excitatory synapse elimination in mouse neurons, which requires fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), an RNA-binding protein implicated in human cognitive dysfunction and autism. We report here that protocadherin 10 (Pcdh10), an autism-spectrum disorders gene, is necessary for this process. MEF2 and FMRP cooperatively regulate the expression of Pcdh10. Upon MEF2 activation, PSD-95 is ubiquitinated by the ubiquitin E3 ligase murine double minute 2 (Mdm2) and then binds to Pcdh10, which links it to the proteasome for degradation. Blockade of the Pcdh10-proteasome interaction inhibits MEF2-induced PSD-95 degradation and synapse elimination. In FMRP-lacking neurons, elevated protein levels of eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 α (EF1α), an Mdm2-interacting protein and FMRP target mRNA, sequester Mdm2 and prevent MEF2-induced PSD-95 ubiquitination and synapse elimination. Together, our findings reveal roles for multiple autism-linked genes in activity-dependent synapse elimination

Economy and Divorces: Their Impact Over Time on the Self-Employment Rates in Spain

The paper used time-series data and examined the effect of economic and social variables on the male and female self-employment rates in Spain. We also employed cointegration analysis (with and without) structural breaks. We thus find strong evidence that long run relationships exist among the variables. More precisely, we find that the unemployment rates and the ratio of self-employment to employees’ earnings have a positive effect on self-employment, whereas, economic development and divorce rates have a negative effect. Importantly, we find that the economic variables have equal or stronger long run impact on females than males, with both groups reacting to changes in family circumstances. Finally, we show that the short run family circumstances are better predictors of self-employment choices rather than economic factors, with self-employment being a means of adjustment to new personal circumstances and economic needs