May 25, 2006
New poll finds Africans increasingly disenchanted with democracy
The latest round of the Afrobarometer polling found that Africans are increasingly disenchanted with democracy. Two findings confirmed what we might have expected:
Views from the Center
May 25, 2006
Nurse Drain A Problem? Think Again.
The effect of nurse emigration on the countries of origin is not that simple, despite yesterday's somber New York Times piece, "U.S. Plan to Lure Nurses May Hurt Poor Nations." Yes, the Philippines has been the world's top exporter of nurses for decades, but today it has more nurses than almost any other country in its income group.
May 24, 2006
How Much Aid for Africa? This model won't tell you!
A new paper (pdf) from UNDP is very old wine in a new bottle. It purports to estimate the “cost” of halving poverty in 15 of the poorest African countries. It concludes that aid in the amount of about 13-25% of GDP could cause poverty to be halved there over the next nine short years.
May 19, 2006
A Victory for Democracy in Nigeria
Nigeria's President Obasanjo bowed to popular will yesterday and endorsed the legislature’s decision to reject bills that would have made it possible for him to seek a third term. The actions by Nigeria's Senate and House of Representatives, and the president’s wise acquiescence, put to rest fears that Obasanjo might join Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni and Chad’s Idriss Deby in discarding democracy in favor of a personal stranglehold on power. Praise for the move was nearly universal - both within and outside Nigeria.
May 19, 2006
WSJ claims the U.S. is "generous" – Compared to what?
On Saturday, the Wall Street Journal editorial page (subscription req.) opined on the generosity of Americans, borrowing heavily from the Hudson Institute’s Index of Global Philanthropy, on which we have blogged before here and
May 16, 2006
No News Today
Today's UK Independent Newspaper leads with a full front page graphic designed by Damien Hirst. The headline reads: "No News Today". Then it has a footnote: "Just 6,500 Africans died today as a result of a preventable, treatable disease."
May 15, 2006
Despite Bumpy Start, EU Carbon Market Shows the Way
The European Union market for permits to emit carbon dioxide has gyrated in past weeks as it became clear that national governments gamed the initial permit allocation and EU officials bumbled the release of information on actual emissions.
May 9, 2006
Should we give aid to government budgets?
Donors give about $5 billion a year - about a twentieth of all aid - directly to the government's budget, and this is increasing.
May 8, 2006
Foreign Aid Reform: The Latest Skinny from the Inside
In his April 26 testimony to House appropriators, new Director of Foreign Assistance Randall Tobias left no doubt about his determination to ensure that the fragmented U.S. foreign assistance regime be overhauled to reflect strategic guidance from the Secretary of State -- and to ensure that U.S. aid advances the administration’s broad foreign policy and national security goals, rather than being driven by the desires of individual agencies or country missions.
May 5, 2006
NATO Report on China Highlights Rural Challenge
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly has just released a report on “China's Development Challenge.” While the report discusses such topics as foreign investment and China’s energy needs, much of the analysis focuses on the challenge of rural development. This focus on the rapidly growing divide between China’s rural and urban economies and the fear of spreading rural unrest is correct: the problem has been growing for more than a decade.
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