Services create new businesses and boost trading opportunities. Services account for more than 60 percent of all new job creation netted in both middle-income and developed economies. The services sector accounts for two-thirds of the world's GDP and one-half of the employed workforce, but just one-fifth of international trade.
In a world integrated by powerful information technology and sophisticated communication networks, the crucial services sector will continue to rack up impressive gains in trade, job creation and economic growth in years to come. Or will it?
That's a decision world leaders grappled with at the World Trade Organization's 6th Ministerial Conference, in Hong Kong. World economic growth and prosperity will depend on countries making firm commitments to allow free trade, not only in manufactured goods and agricultural products, but also in services. Flourishing trade in services can open a route to economic expansion and rising standards of living. This opportunity must not be lost.
In our economically integrated world, policy makers must carefully weigh how they want their nations--and their citizens--to harness the economic potential of the services sector. Services, whether in banking, technical training, management consulting, architectural design, custom software development or customer support call centers, are a key means to sparking productivity, competitiveness, innovation and economic development.
A high-quality services infrastructure lies at the heart of productivity for all facets of a growing economy. For example, in most developed economies, services are embodied in the manufacturing processes and account for more than 20 percent of the added value of that sector. The efficient provision of services delivers a direct benefit to consumers, and it also enables an economy to become more competitive.
According to the World Bank, the distribution of economic wealth within the world remains "strongly correlated" with the level of employment in the services sector. "The wealthier economies are those with the largest share of total employment in services, whereas the poorer economies are largely agriculture-based," it said in its latest report on 2005 World Development Indicators.
In practice, information and communication technology and services allow global integration that enables an efficient supply of services and knowledge that benefits the economy and society at large. Oftentimes, restrictions in business services like accounting and legal services are impediments for many developing countries' productivity and growth.
Biography
Christopher Caine is vice president of governmental programs worldwide for IBM.
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free trade,
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required under the WTO to give a work visa to
anybody who asks for one. Don't believe me?
Ask the WTO:
http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/minist_e/min99_e/english/about_e/09serv_e.htm
Read the section called "movement of natural persons".
The language about "individuals travelling from
their own country to supply services in another
(e.g. fashion models or consultants)" is taken
directly from the US H1-B visa legislation.
This is a corporate wet dream to utterly destroy
the American middle class, or at least that part
of the middle class whose income depends on their
education. What the proposed GATS would do is to
import millions of "guest workers" every year,
most of whom would be targeted at the higher-
paying jobs (programmer, engineer, pharmacist,
nurse, teacher, architect).
All one has to do is to carefully read Mr. Caine's own word selections, within his editorial. Then, weigh the frequency of use, as well as the lack of use of certain corresponding words in his editorial.
For instance, here are brief excerpts, followed by this reader's own translations, to focus upon:
Mr Caine writes:
"Amid the hype and hysteria over global trade, agricultural subsidies and industrial tariff barriers, one key piece of the global economic puzzle often gets lost in the shuffle: Trading services provide an accessible engine of growth for developed and developing economies alike."
Translation: global trade, agricultural subsidies and industrial tariff barriers are trivial matters, so don't concern yourself with their potential threat to your ability to sustain a living wage, and ongoing existance ... in short, Mr Caine is saying" "Trust Me". That phrase is universally understood as being synonymous with the F-Bomb phrase: "F---- You".
Now have a look at these next 4, excerpts, and watch for a trend in their phraseology, especially those I have marked with *asterisks*:
1)"That's a decision *world leaders* grappled with at the World Trade Organization's 6th Ministerial Conference, in Hong Kong. World economic growth and prosperity will depend on countries making firm commitments to allow free trade, not only in manufactured goods and agricultural products, but also in services. Flourishing trade in services can open a route to economic expansion and rising standards of living. This opportunity must not be lost.
2)"*Policy makers* must carefully weigh how *they want* their nations--and their citizens--to harness the economic potential of the services sector."
3)"The WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong offered a rare chance *for world leaders* to start the engine of opportunity called services."
4)"If *country leaders* open their markets for efficient supply of services, focus on their human resource development, promote the use of IT and foster innovation, then they will advance their economic growth, competitiveness and prosperity. The WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong offered a rare chance *for world leaders* to start the engine of opportunity called services, and to provide their citizens with future employment and well-being. Now they should rise to the challenge."
5)"An efficient business services sector cuts transaction costs. Health and education services are vital in making *human resources* part of the production process."
6)"Focus on the development of *human resources* to foster innovation and ensure global competitiveness."
7)"If country leaders open their markets for efficient supply of services, focus on their *human resource development*, promote the use of IT and foster innovation, then they will advance their economic growth, competitiveness and prosperity.
Incase you missed them, above, here is a summary of the keywords Mr. Caine repeats in his editorial:
1)*world leaders*
2)*Policy makers*
3)*for world leaders*
4)*country leaders*
5)*human resources*
6)*human resources*
7)*human resource development*
Let me remind the readers of Mr. Caine's editorial of these bits of wisdom:
"Democracy is when the indigent, and not the men of property, are the rulers." --Aristotle
Now, I ask you to scan Mr. Caine's editorial for the word or words, "Dmocracy" or "Democratic"[as it pertains to a form of government, and NOT to political party] ... personally, I could not find ANY derivative of those words. But, I am not surprised, in the least.
Consider at least a couple of America's largest and leading world trading partners are currently, and then consider the form of government that leads those trading nations:
China = Communist
Saudi Arabia = Dictatorial Monarchy
And be reminded that those two trading partners are not only responsible for huge amounts of trade with the U.S. but, are also, simultaneously the holders of much of the U.S.'s debit.
Do those two leading trading partners bring to YOUR mind this bit of wisdom, at all?
"A government of, by, and for the people."
Now ... look back upon Mr. Caine's editorializing in search for the use of the word(s): "Human", but only count the occurrances where that word is followed by the second word: "rights". I could find a single occurrance of "Human Rights", did you?
Oh sure, I saw MULTIPLE occurrances of the word "Human" but it was always followed by the word "resource" or "resources". In other words, Humans, are simply grist for a Global Corpocracy Mill.
We read almost each and every day about Human Rights violations by both of those leading trading partners, as well as other non-Democracies that the U.S. trades with today.
So, Mr. Caine sprinkles his editorial with the word "Human" in a deliberate attempt to mislead readers into believing that the Global Corpocracy theory he is espousing, is somehow aligned with something positive for "Humans", when in truth, his reference to "Humans" is soley related to corporate and executive profits and compensation.
In other words, Mr. Caine obviously subscribes to and is attempting to promote the idea that waht is good for the crowd that can afford $6,000 shower curtains, and $15,000 toilets, is good for all of us.
Mr. Caine and fellow Conservatives would like nothing more than for the U.S. to have a labor pool which could be compensated at rates competitive to those of trading partners like China, where children are practically slave-labor, and where the chance for everyone to live the American dream is limited to the executive-class of his Global Corpocracy ... in short, another commenter's characterization of a corporate "wet-dream".
I am then reminded of this bit of wisdom:
"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." --John Kenneth Galbraith
Here is what a recognized size-12-brain had to say about all of this:
"Not until the creation and maintenance of decent conditions of life for all people are recognized and accepted as a common obligation of all people and all countries - not until then shall we, with a certain degree of justification, be able to speak of humankind as civilized." --Albert Einstein
In closing this comment, I suggest that Global Corpocracy is a flawed, misguided, misinformed, and even dangerous philosophy. And, it is "WE THE PEOPLE" who MUST control our own destinies, and NOT Vice Presidents of corporate behemoths who are trying, relentlessly, to SELL us yet another bill of goods. Don't buy it.
Here are some of the statements he uses to support his flawed reasoning:
"A high-quality services infrastructure lies at the heart of productivity for all facets of a growing economy."
"According to the World Bank, the distribution of economic wealth within the world remains "strongly correlated" with the level of employment in the services sector. "The wealthier economies are those with the largest share of total employment in services, whereas the poorer economies are largely agriculture-based," it said in its latest report on 2005 World Development Indicators."
He argues that quality services are the basis for a growing economy, and as proof he cites the fact that there is a strong correlation between employment and the services industry in a given economy.
While the data is true, there really is a correlation between employment, or a strong economy in general, and the services industry within that economy, Mr Caine confuses the correlation with the incorrect cause and effect.
Anybody who knows anything about basic economics knows that a strong economy is based on the productivity of its citizens in ragard to manufactured products and goods, not in the services industry. A strong services industry is the result, because as the economic status of an economy increases, so does the ability of its citizens to pay for insubstantial services increase.
What gets me is that this is a vice president of a worldwide corporation, which is evidence that it's not what you know, but who you know when you're in a high executive position.