Mar 03
Most of us are familiar with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)., but for those who are not, the MDGs include a set of eight (8) goals that about 192 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have all agreed to achieve by the year 2015. The goals include eradicating extreme poverty, reducing …
Mar 03
Public Education System in America 671,616. This was the number of international students studying in the United States higher education system in 2008. While America continues to attract thousands of students from all over the world to its prestigious undergraduate and graduate colleges, it is the public school system that is being put under a …
Mar 01
Ever since the US House of Representatives became a Republican majority two months ago, the House, along with many state legislatures, have been churning out legislation targeted at limiting women’s rights, redefining victims of sexual assault and placing the lives of fetuses above their mother’s. There are currently three initiatives against abortion at the Federal …
Mar 01
A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about my dinner with Marie Wilson and about the role of women in International Economic Development. In keeping with that theme, I was excited to read about the launch of U.N. Women on Thursday last week.
What is U.N. Women you might ask, and why do we need another agency pushing for gender equality?
Feb 28
Women in many parts of the African continent perform up to 80% of the labor in their respective countries, yet are often denied basic rights, such as the right to own land, to access credit, and to operate their own businesses. They are the fundamental caregivers and providers of their families, yet many of them …
Feb 28
The Story of an Average Chinese Farmer Ever since Deng Xiaoping reformed China’s economy in 1978, the Communist country has been enjoying rapid economic growth. An industrial powerhouse, China has quickly established itself as a global player in international politics. But behind this veiled economic growth lie vast income inequalities that span across the majority …
Feb 25
In my research on sustainable development programs, I have always been interested in organizations that focus on efficient and effective aid strategies in their work. I was particularly impressed with The ONE Campaign’s clever acronym explaining what “SMART” Aid means to them: S – Sufficient in scale to achieve its intended goals. M -Measurable so …
Feb 23
Poverty and Economic Development in Asia’s Largest Slum. What is it about slum areas that intrigue people? Is it the constricted spaces that some call home while others call hell? Or the vibrant colors that fill the narrow alleys andshops? Slums have always had a certain aura that surrounds them, which makes people take a …
Feb 21
This week Congress has been debating the upcoming year’s budget, with the new Republican leadership in the House of Representatives vowing to cut spending as much as possible. Included in those spending cuts is US Foreign Aid, or Official Development Assistance (ODA). House Republicans proposed up to 50% cuts in the funding of critical development …
Feb 17
For decades, economists, historians, scholars and the like have studied economic development on the continent of Africa, seeking to explain what factors account for the region’s slow growth. From my own research, two interesting schools of thought have emerged: the concept of the “Poverty Trap” as purported by venerated economist and director of the UN …
