Neoliberlism arose as a project of imperialism to counter the increased power of the working classes of the metropolitan countries on the one hand and the Third World countries on the other. Near full employment in the metropolitan countries and social welfare measures had increased the bargaining power of the workers in Europe. An anti-worker ideology was nourished by trashing the achievements of welfare states. Simultaneously, the lessons of history were negated in persuading and bullying Thir more...
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This is the flagship annual report from the World Bank. Summary: 'World Development Report 2008 calls for greater investment in agriculture in developing countries.The report warns that the sector must be placed at the center of the development agenda if the goals of halving extreme poverty and hunger by 2015 are to be realized.
* While 75 percent of the world’s poor live in rural areas in developing countries, a mere 4 percent of official development assistance goes to agriculture.
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“Peace First” by Ambassador Uri Savir is now available from Berrett-Koehler Publishers. Savir, who acted as Chief Negotiator for Israel in the Oslo Peace Accords and is also President of the Glocal Forum, promotes glocalization as a feasible model for a modern culture of peace. His narrative outlines his model while drawing on past experiences as a peacemaker and examples in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Northern Ireland, and the former Yugoslavia.&nb more...
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Developed countries provide billions of dollars of aid to developing nations every year. Although some of these funds have yielded positive results, much appears to have had little tangible impact. This has led to substantial “donor fatigue” and a justifiable questioning of whether developed countries should be providing more aid resources. It is extremely difficult for elected officials to explain to their constituents why they send their taxes to a far-away country with unclear results, es more...
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For any policy priority, a given level of resources will only have its maximum impact when there is information about the effectiveness of alternative uses for those resources. Yet in the case of aid spending there is remarkably little good evidence on the relative effectiveness of alternative ways to spend aid. Figuring out what is the most effective way to reduce poverty is not as simple as it might appear. Consider the following example: A new headmaster arrives at a school full of enthusiasm more...
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Vaccines are among the world’s most effective health interventions. Three million lives are saved each year by a standard package of cheap, off-patent vaccines which reaches three-quarters of the world’s children. Coverage is considerably lower for newer vaccines. However, despite recent scientific advances which have increased the feasibility of developing malaria, tuberculosis, and AIDS vaccines, global R&D on these vaccines is woefully inadequate. Funds for global public and non-profit ma more...
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Global public goods have benefits which go beyond the person or country that paid for them. For example, if a country invests in R&D for new scientific discoveries in health or agriculture, the benefits will be available to everyone, not just the country that paid for it. This characteristic of public goods means that there will usually be too little investment in them. A wide range of global public goods - from health R&D to preventing climate change - suffer from lack of investment. Wealthy co more...
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