Several months ago I wrote a post about the small Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, which, to refresh your memory, operates on the basis of gross national happiness, or GNH. GNH replaced GDP and GNP (gross domestic product and gross national product) as the measure of development for the country in 1972 when then King Jigme …
Category: International Economic Development
Jan 12
Two-Year Anniversary of Haitian Earthquake
When was the last time you thought about Haiti? If you’re anything like me, it was probably a long time ago. It’s been almost exactly two years since the devastating earthquake that brought Haiti to the forefront of the international consciousness, and a lot of things have happened since then. Kim Jong-Il’s death, the Arab …
Dec 20
Looking Forward to Next Year’s Foreign Aid Budget
On Friday of last week, the House of Representatives passed a bill approving the foreign aid budget for 2012. Anticipating that the Senate will pass the bill this week, the winners and losers of the proposed budget allocations becomes clear. Foreign aid has become a big target in this economic recession, with government more hesitant …
Dec 05
Reflections on Busan
In my post last week about Busan, I laid out what goals I wished to see accomplished at the Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness. I stated earlier that I would like to see emerging economies start to play a greater role in international aid. Also I wish to see a greater recognition of the …
Dec 01
Myanmar: The Final Frontier
The Republic of Myanmar (commonly known as Burma) is not the most tourist-friendly place. That may change soon, however, as the government seeks to capitalize on the benefits of 50 years of heavy tourist restrictions and isolation: beautiful, unspoiled landscapes and culture. For decades the country has faced heavy sanctions because of the oppressive regime …
Nov 29
What do you know about Busan?
To begin with, today Tuesday the 29th, the Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness opens in Busan, South Korea. The goal of this Forum is to focus on developing efficient ways of giving international aid while working to build stronger partnerships between donor and recipient governments. This is the first time the forum is being …
Nov 10
Is Happiness a Good Measure of Development?
A few weeks ago I wrote a post about the possibility of including factors besides GDP as measures of development, so I thought today it might be interesting to do a sort of case study on a country that has done just that. I’m sure many of you have heard that Bhutan, that small kingdom …
Nov 09
Is America in Decline?
Have you ever thought about a declining American culture? To think that a “culture” or a way of life can systematically change or decline is not something that average citizens typically thinks about. Yes, we have heard the “When I was your age” tales reminiscing over the past, but do these actually bear any weight …
Oct 26
Disarming the Developing World
The debate on the use of weapons is heated, personal and wide-ranging. As a conflict resolution student, I’d like to think that conflict can be resolved in other ways besides using deadly force. This particular blog doesn’t try to address the debate on whether weapons should be used or not. It accepts that in today’s …
Oct 20
Culture and Economic Development
Last week I wrote a post about some of the aspects of development besides economic growth that policy makers should take into account when dealing with the developing world, and today I would like to continue in a similar vein. This time, however, I am going to discuss a different variable: culture. Over the summer …