Committee of 100
Outsourcing Resource Guide

From a relatively obscure debate among economists to a presidential campaign issue, the subject of the “outsourcing” of American jobs migrated during the first six months of this year from the business section to the front page of the nation’s major print media. While jobs moving offshore to India dominated the stories, China received the second most attention in major news stories. Because of China’s prominence in the public discourse over outsourcing, the Committee of 100 undertook a close and comprehensive look at news and opinion on this subject as expressed in major print media.

Although the loss of jobs is a major concern for our nation, getting at the truth about outsourcing is especially difficult in a presidential election year. Our research sought to separate the reasoned discourse from the political rhetoric. This survey covers a total of 187 citations, including vast numbers of media reports as well as public statements by non-partisan public leaders. We have organized it so that you can review our findings by scanning the citations and their salient points or go into detail by clinking on a link for each citations.

The vast majority of economists and others well schooled in this discipline are, as represented in these citations, sanguine about the long-term effects of outsourcing. Generally they attribute productivity, not outsourcing, to job loss in the United States. They recognize the broad benefit to American consumers of cheaper goods produced overseas. They see outsourcing as a phenomenon that has been a virtual constant in our nation’s history—beginning with regional shifts, such as the textile industry moving from New England to the South, and call centers from major urban areas to the Midwest. But they also express their concern that the U.S. competitiveness in the global economy is threatened by the erosion of the nation’s education system, particularly in the areas of math and science.

Economists and others who have seriously contemplated outsourcing contend that it is ultimately a positive development for the U.S. and global economies. But while the benefits of outsourcing are subtle, long-term and broadly dispersed across the entire population, the negative impacts on discrete groups of U.S. workers are acute and severe. These affected workers form a powerful political voice.

Although much of the discourse reflected in this bibliography addresses the relationship between outsourcing and job loss in the United States, it also includes some ideas about a thoughtful, systematic plan for creating jobs. We encourage those in positions of power--whether commentators or policy makers--to devote their prodigious intellectual and analytical resources to addressing this problem. We also recommend that, in the short term, policy makers address the needs of workers who have lost their jobs--no matter what the cause.

This Committee of 100 outsourcing resource has been organized for easy reference, but we’re also aware that you may have limited time in your review of news and commentary on the subject of outsourcing. Therefore, we’ve listed below what we regard as the 12 most salient citations, which should provide a succinct overview of the most recent discourse:

to view the complete resource guide, download our

OUTSOURCING BIBLIOGRAPHY

Publication dates: 11/30/03-5/31/04
343 total citations