Over the past two decades, the percentage of the world's population living on less than a dollar a day has been cut in half. How much of that improvement is because of-or in spite of-globalization? While anti-globalization activists mount loud critiques and the media report breathlessly on...

In China, local governments have actively contributed to the growth of new firms. In Russia, local governments have typically stood in the way, be it through taxation, regulation, or corruption. There appears to be two main reasons behind the behavior of local governments in Russia. First,...