Mar 16
Over the past couple of years, developing countries have been trying to repay billions of dollars in loans. Many of these loans had been accumulated under corrupt Cold War regimes, and have now become a serious obstacle to overcoming poverty and acting as a hindrance to economic development. Governments of developing countries have been taking …
Mar 09
Economic Development in Egypt: The Next Step What’s next for Egypt? This is the one crucial question that people have on their minds. The Post-Mubarak era promises a lot, but can the new regime increase economic development in the country and get Egypt to its full potential? Don’t get me wrong. I am not proclaiming …
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 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 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 …
Feb 11
Following my previous blog discussing how rich-country agricultural subsidies hurt developing countries in Africa, this video provides a picture of the ways some African farmers are struggling to sustain themselves. While Subsidizing Poverty (Part One) discusses how rich-country subsides contribute to poverty through price depreciation, this video explains how subsidies implemented by poor countries actually …
Jan 20
The Administrator of USAID spoke yesterday at an event hosted by the Center for Global Development. For those unable to venture to Washington or to gain access to the event, it was streamed live on the new USAID website celebrating 50 years for the agency (http://50.usaid.gov). This new site highlights the achievements of the last …
