Category: Africa
-
African elections: How to save votes
The Economist: African elections: How to save votes COULD smartphones help reduce electoral fraud in Africa and in other regions? At a recent forum hosted by the Brookings Institution on the ways that wireless technologies are affecting politics in various countries, Clark Gibson, a professor at the University of California, San Diego (USCD), presented findings…
-
In 2005-2008, Poverty has fallen in all regions of the world
The Economist: Now for the good news Poverty has fallen in all regions of the world THE past four years have seen an economic crisis coincide with a food-price spike. That must surely have boosted the number of the world’s poor (especially since food inflation hits the poor hardest)—right? Wrong. New estimates of the numbers…
-
Cost-Effective Compassion: The 10 Most Popular Strategies for Helping the Poor
Christianity Today: Cost-Effective Compassion: The 10 Most Popular Strategies for Helping the Poor Economists rate impact. Concern for the poor is a fundamental pillar of Christian identity and calling, a constant theme throughout the Old and New Testaments (Deut. 15:4; Prov. 14:31; Gal. 2:10; James 2:2-6). A definitive mark of the church throughout history is…
-
Arab spring cleaning
The Economist: Arab spring cleaning Why trade reform matters in the Middle East … The Middle East has strikingly few private companies, less than one-third of the number per person in eastern Europe. Everywhere the state dominates the economy. In Egypt the public sector accounts for 40% of value-added outside agriculture—an unusually large share for…
-
Wish you were mine: Resource nationalism in Africa
Economist: Wish you were mine: Resource nationalism in Africa African governments are seeking higher rents and bigger ownership stakes from foreign miners. THE true extent of Africa's vast wealth of resources is hard to guess. Geologists have picked over most of the rest of the globe in search of minerals, yet huge swathes of Africa…
-
Protecting Endangered Species to Extinction
CBS News: Can hunting endangered animals save the species? This is a fascinating piece about bringing endangered species back from extinction through the use of property rights … in Texas. Some background … By Mid-Twentieth Century, elephants were endangered in Africa. Hunters hunted them vigorously. Locals viewed them as oversized rodents that frequently destroyed their…
-
Paul Collier on Sustainability and Nonrenewable Resources in Emerging Nations
I've been reading Paul Collier's The Plundered Planet: Why We Must – And How We Can – Manage Nature for Global Prosperity. He is writing about natural resource extraction in emerging nations and its impact on local economies. I thought this excerpt was especially helpful: We have now reached the heart of what is distinctive…
-
Cargill and Economic Development for the Poor
Fortune: Cargill: Inside the quiet giant that rules the food business Here is just one example of a large "evil" multinational corporation's positive impact on economic development among the poor. There are many other stories similar to these that are rarely seen in the press. … Seventy percent of the world's cocoa grows in West…
-
Mobile phone: Weapon against global poverty
CNNTech: Mobile phone: Weapon against global poverty … The advent of the mobile society may have brought convenience and a cultural sea change to the U.S. and Europe, but in the poorest regions of the world, affordable mobile phone access has caused a quantum leap in services — like calling for medical help, sending a…