Can We Measure Politics and Political Development?

Measuring how countries perform is all the rage. Everyone from the World Bank to Bertelsmann to Africa’s most famous entrepreneur does it, producing indices on things like how competitive economies are, how hungry populations are, how free the press is, how risky investments are, and how corrupt public sectors are. Many of these indices are [...]

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 [...]

Mining paradise: The new season

Enami tries to establish a presence in Intag and hopes to succeed where Mitsubishi and Copper Mesa failed You were with us for the first exciting season of Mining Paradise in the 1990’s, when Bishimetals, a Mitsubishi subsidiary, spent years exploring for copper in Intag’s Toisan Cordillera, thanks to one of those wonderful “international development [...]

The Eradication of Criminality and the use of Excessive Police Force

Introduction Footage gathered online posted by the Surinamese media showing how the Surinamese police deals with criminals raises serious concerns on human rights. The police during a news conference justified the shooting of four (possible) suspects of (armed) robbery, arguing that their actions are in accordance with new policies to be tough on crime. According [...]

Maternal Mortality Declining

As I wrote in the recent post, The Joy and Burden of Motherhood, “The greatest joy of motherhood is seen as the sheer gift of bringing a life into this world and helping to shape them from the moment of birth and then to watch them grow into a happy, productive and successful member of [...]

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