Essentialism in Western Media Perspectives Even today, among reputable news sources, there still remains a level of ignorance and an essentialist undertone in Western media perspectives of the “developing world.” For example, in a recent issue of The Economist, I came across a feature on Gendercide in India, which discusses the distorted sex ratios in …
Tag: Poverty
Apr 29
Tourism=Economic Development?
How Tourism is Helping Economic Development Traveling to quaint and unique places has always been my passion. As an avid traveler myself, I enjoy experiencing different cultures and places. Now, while I love thinking of myself as the only person who actually indulges in some adventure travel, the reality of the situation is that there …
Apr 28
Tackling Education on the African Continent
Over the past decade, public spending on education in sub-Saharan Africa has increased by more than 6 % each year, according to the latest report released by UNESCO. Thereal question however, is not how much money is being spent, rather how exactly it is being distributed. The report showed some promising results. The increase in …
Apr 27
Can we PLEASE focus on a real education issue?
Donald Trump has asked for the President to provide his birth certificate several times and has made a new statement that the President wasn’t “Qualified for the Ivy League.” I am not sure how the President performed at Harvard, and honestly I think it is a question that the American public should not really care about. …
Apr 11
Vulture Funds and Sovereign Debts
A couple of years ago, celebrities like Bono and highly respected individuals like Nelson Mandela brought our attention to the importance of debt relief and what such relief might mean to developing countries. Ironically, at the same time, many countries began to understand the importance of having a secondary market for debt especially when dealing …
Apr 08
Government & Security – Part III
In my previous post, I spoke about how corrupt governments and conflicts seriously dampen a countries quest to economic development and poverty eradication. While these posts were very general, today I would like to provide you with specific examples from across the world to show you what I mean. Lets begin with India. One third …
Apr 06
Government & Security – Part II
The Opportunity In my last post, I spoke about how developing nations face two main obstacles in their path to economic and social development. Corruption in government and constant conflicts often plague developing nations and inhibit their ability to break the shackles of poverty. I believe that the countries that have the best chance of …
Mar 23
Water Changes Everything
Yesterday, on the 22nd of March 2011, was World Water Day. It was a day to raise awareness for something most people in developed nations take for granted – clean drinking water. Right now, almost a billion people don’t have access to clean and safe drinking water. That’s about one in every eight people. Only …
Mar 22
Debt’s Vicious Cycle-Part Two
In my last post, I spoke about the problems that arose through debt burdens, and why countries find it so difficult to rid themselves of that obstacle. Countries that are freed from their debts end up accumulating more debts because of failed promises for development assistance. Whatever the reason, the international community needs to come …
Mar 16
Debt’s Vicious Cycle – Part One
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 …