T.A. Frank

T.A. Frank in the New Republic Online | 'The Mugabelogue'

Communications — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:22:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Who's interested in Zimbabwe, and why? How should Westerners understand the situation there? And could this all be Jimmy Carter's fault? T.A. Frank and James Kirchick discussed the situation over IM...

T.A. Frank: For me, what's grimly riveting about Zimbabwe--as opposed to other nations under tyrannical rule--is that it's had such a fast and senseless decline. Sure, it's probably worse to be in North Korea, but yesterday in Pyongyang was the same as today. Zimbabwe, by contrast, was a highly developed, prosperous country until even a decade ago. Mugabe took the "jewel of Africa" and obliterated it ... LINK

Confessions Of a Sweatshop Inspector

Ron Tang — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:53:00 -0400

I remember one particularly bad factory in China. It produced outdoor tables, parasols, and gazebos, and the place was a mess. Work floors were so crowded with production materials that I could barely make my way from one end to the other. In one area, where metals were being chemically treated, workers squatted at the edge of steaming pools as if contemplating a sudden, final swim. The dormitories were filthy: the hallways were strewn with garbage -- orange peels, tea leaves -- and the only way for anyone to bathe was to fill a bucket with cold water. In a… more

T.A. Frank

Operations — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:10:00 -0400

FellowAs a California-based Fellow at the New America Foundation, T.A. Frank writes about law, criminal justice, and labor. With a robust technology sector, busy ports, and a changing economy, California is faced with new sorts of crime, such as terrorism, cybercrime, and financial fraud. Mr. Frank will explore issues such as how prosecutors set their priorities, how police are approaching crime, which crimes are occurring, and what sort of rehabilitation works. Developments in California's labor market are equally far-reaching. As the state makes the transition to a postindustrial economy, with information technology propelling growth, trade increasing, and manufacturing steadily declining,… more