Aug 08
There’s a new kind of state (country states, not US states, just so we’re clear) emerging: MIFFs, Middle Income Failed-Fragile states. These MIFFs are classified as middle-income states in the World Bank list of countries by income category, but they have highly unstable governments and a lot of conflict. They are—or are close to being—failed …
Aug 02
Money allocated for mental health services and social entrepreneurship support in Dadaab could help refugees build a future outside the camp Last week, Rebecca posted the second entry of our series on the Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya. Much of her post focused on the monetary difficulties related to the camp. She explained how there …
Aug 01
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the opportunity and need for Haiti to redevelop sustainably after the devastating earthquake in 2010. I also discussed how construction in Bihar, India – after a flood completely washed away the area – could be a model for rebuilding homes in Haiti. Unfortunately, like Haiti and India, Pakistan …
Jul 20
When you think “ecotourism” China is probably not the first place that comes to mind. No, China brings up images of massive crowds of people and heavy smog clouds, not things that are very compatible with environmentally and economically friendly ecotourism. However, with 41 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and 28 UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, the ecotourism …
Jul 19
So long as South Sudan relies on massive exterior aid, it cannot achieve true, lasting independence Today’s post is going to be a little bit different than usual. I’ve spent a good portion of this past week preparing for my webinar, and every slide I create gets me more excited about hosting it. So I …
Jul 18
In an interesting move to encourage economic development, Cambodia recently opened its first stock exchange, the Cambodia Securities Exchange (CSX). What part of that is interesting, you may be wondering? Well, currently there are no stocks to trade, no companies listed, which makes this the smallest stock exchange in the world. It’s sort of …
Jul 14
Now that South Sudan’s independence is a reality, a new set of challenges awaits On July 9th, South Sudan became an independent nation. The United Nations is currently working its way towards the vote that will officiate South Sudan as a member of the UN. On Wednesday afternoon, the UN Security Council decided to recommend that the …
Jul 13
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) announced on July 7th that it will be coming together with Spain to organize the First International Congress on Ethics and Tourism. The conference will be held on the 15th and 16th of September in Madrid and will cover issues such as responsible tourism, fair tourism and poverty reduction, and the role of the …
Jul 11
There are currently one billion people around the world who are hungry. With inefficient farming practices, poor distribution, record high food prices, and a global population that’s expected to reach over nine billion by 2050, food security is a huge challenge worldwide. Plain and simple: current methods aren’t working, and changes must be made in …
Jul 11
On Thursday, July 8th, a rather interesting live web chat was conducted by USAID Administrator Raj Shah and actor Kal Penn. The topic of the web chat, “How to Make Change: Youth and International Development,” was especially important for young people who are curious about their role in the world today. Administrator Shah directly answered …
