The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is pleased to host monthly Issues & Ideas Luncheons in Lansing. These luncheons, which feature experts on a diverse array of subjects, offer a forum that enhances and broadens the policy debate to include theoretical and philosophical ideals—and suggestions for achieving them.

Legislative staff, policy specialists, and other interested friends are cordially invited to our

SEPTEMBER ISSUES & IDEAS LUNCHEON

“How Foreign Outsourcing Affects Michigan’s Economy”

DATE:	Thursday, September 16, 2004
TIME:	12:00 - 1:15 p.m.
LOCATION:	The Mackinac Room, 5th Floor House Office Building 124 North Capitol, Lansing
COST:	Lunch is provided at no charge, with reservation.

Lawmakers in Congress and in more than 30 state legislatures, including Michigan’s, have targeted foreign outsourcing as a threat to U.S. jobs and prosperity. Is outsourcing, in fact, a new and unique threat to employment, or is it just another way of engaging in international trade?

Outsourcing is a lightning rod for controversy this presidential election year. Critics blame outsourcing for Michigan job losses, but consumers demand the low-cost products and services that outsourcing can provide. Even taxpayers and government employees have a stake in the debate when the state contracts with foreign workers to save money.

Griswold will present his findings on the immediate and long-term economic effects of outsourcing on Michigan’s manufacturing economy. All attendees will receive a copy of the upcoming Mackinac Center policy brief on outsourcing, of which Griswold is co-author.

Griswold is director of the Washington, D.C.-based Cato Institute Center for Trade Policy Studies. He has authored or co-authored studies on globalization, the World Trade Organization, and trade and manufacturing. He is a frequent commentator in national news media and has testified before congressional committees and federal agencies on the U.S. trade deficit, steel trade, immigration, and protectionism. Griswold holds a diploma in economics and a master's degree in the Politics of the World Economy from the London School of Economics.

The luncheon begins promptly at 12:00 noon. Please make reservations for yourself and any guests by 5 PM on September 15, 2004, by calling the Mackinac Center at (989) 631-0900 or send your e-mail to: rsvp@mackinac.org.

The Purpose of the Issues & Ideas Luncheon
The nature of the legislative process is such that public policy debates are often framed by specific constituencies and political pragmatism rather than sound principles. By offering a forum for wide-ranging discussion, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy hopes to broaden the debate to include theoretical and philosophical ideals—and how to achieve them. The best interests of Michigan citizens can only be served when legislation incorporates our best understanding of legal, economic, psychological, moral and scientific principles.