Justin Muzinich and Eric Werker propose "a better approach to foreign aid" in the form of tax credits for companies that invest in developing countries: tax credits for U.S. companies promise more aid, less waste, and the hope of better institution-building than government-to-government assistance. The next question is how a system of tax credits should [...]
Rich countries backtrack on aid?
According to Hugh Williamson in the FT the 8 richest countries are stepping back from the commitment they gave in Gleneagles to increase aid: Leaders of the Group of Eight rich nations are set to backtrack on their landmark pledge at the Gleneagles summit in 2005 to increase development aid to Africa to $25bn a [...]
What determines successful reform in developing countries?
Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, Pablo Querubín and James A Robinson nail it:One can find instances where the root of these distortionary policies is in mistaken economic theories. But this is the exception rather than the rule. Few policymakers create insurmountable entry barriers, hyperinflations or large budget deficits because they think this is good for the [...]
Ring road relay
Here is the Marie Stopes team for the Olympic Day Ring Road Relay yesterday. Each team of 12 people ran a kilometre each on the newly built ring road, between Meganagna and Bole. It was an out-and-back route, so we got to see the elite athletes going past. Haile Gebrselassie presented the prizes at the [...]
Donors not living up to their pledges
I've not seen much press coverage of the 2008 DATA report which aims to hold donors to account for meeting the promises they gave in 2005. This year's report finds that rich countries have so far given only one seventh of the extra aid they promised. This year, the report (with its celebrity backers, Bob [...]
If I were living in London
I would be trying to beg, steal or borrow tickets for the Ethiopiques concert at the Barbican Hall, London, on Friday June 27. Here is an extract from an article in the weekend FT: Raider of the lost archives: The golden age of Ethiopian music ran from 1969 to 1978. In the last years of [...]
Our father’s kitchen
Every day, about a 120 children come to get lunch at Beza le Hiwot, a day-centre at near the Merkato in Addis Ababa. Their food is provided by Our Father's Kitchen, set up a year ago by Yasser and Manal Bagersh who own a couple of restaurants here in Addis. Their kitchens provide food every [...]
This means I should live forever
Guzzling coffee may cut heart disease - health - 16 June 2008 - New Scientist The researchers found that women who drank four to five cups per day were 34% less likely to die of heart disease, while men who had more than five cups a day were 44% less likely to die.
Guidance for civil service bloggers
The Cabinet Office has now published guidance for civil servants for blogging and participation in online sites. How the Civil Service Code applies to online participation The Civil Service Code applies to your participation online as a civil servant or when discussing government business. You should participate in the same way as you would with [...]
We may be illiterate, but we are not stupid
Clare Lockhart in Prospect Magazine June 2008 issue 147 (pay firewall): We would like to tell you the story of $150m going up in smoke," said the young villager. "We heard on the radio that there was going to be a reconstruction programme in our region to help us rebuild our houses after coming back [...]