U.N. General Assembly Looks at the Rights of Women and Children
Last week hundreds of world leaders converged in New York City for the annual opening of the United Nations General Assembly; on the agenda were hot topics such as Syria, Israel and Iran. However, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the rights of women and children have also been on the agenda. Governments and aid organizations alike made [...]
Micro Credit, Macro Debt: The Industry of Poverty
Introduction The Industry of Poverty has many faces, as it manifests itself in every society on this globe, its effects are similarly devastating for the poor. What constitutes poverty? When is a person considered poor or low income? Is a person poor when he/she has to live off of less than one (1) USD a [...]
Where are the Development Political Scientists?
Economists dominate the development field, but politics is more important to promoting it. This contradiction explains why the policies often recommended by international institutions (such as the World Bank) do not sufficiently take into account the local political, social, and institutional context. The problem is echoed in other fields, with some blaming the inability of [...]
How Do States Learn?
Everyone in the development field recognizes that learning is essential to development. But what kind of learning matters most? For most major development actors, the emphasis is squarely on individual learning. Achieving universal primary education, for instance, is the second Millennium Development Goal, coming just after ending poverty and hunger. Organizations such as the World [...]
ECUADOR: Paradigm shift disorder
PSD: A condition afflicting individuals and governments that, once in power, implement policies contrary to the paradigm shift that is vital for the well-being of the planet and its inhabitants, and for which they were elected to implement. Often, it is characterized by demagoguery, hypocrisy and a reverting back to ruinous policies that violate human [...]
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