The outcome of the G8 summit was disappointing for poverty reduction and climate change. Perhaps we are to blame for not drawing more attention to the annual progress report on the Millennium Development Goals published in advance of the summit.
Tag: beta
Children’s rights mirror the global divide
Laws to protect children from sexual abuse in the UK are advanced and actively implemented. The absence of such laws in many developing countries is a major concern to human rights campaigners.
Time to burst Dambisa’s bubble
Critics of Dambisa Moyo’s Dead Aid are missing the point. Worse still, by conducting the debate on her territory, they provide fodder for the anti-aid media circus and damage prospects for the Copenhagen climate change negotiations.
Assorted omens for Copenhagen climate agreement
The mood of last week’s World Business Summit on Climate Change was positive that climate negotiators will reach agreement in Copenhagen in December. But US Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, appears to be in hasty retreat from election promises.
There’s only one festival of economics
Economic troubles have dominated 2009. The Trento Festival of Economics therefore enjoys pole position in the European festival season. Its imaginative programme Identity and Global Crisis addresses questions affecting us all.
More substance to Nepal than Gurkha sideshow
The fall of Prachanda’s government has no direct connection with the controversial treatment of Gurkha veterans in the UK. But our domestic political dramas should not overshadow the significance of poverty reduction and stability in Nepal.
Sri Lanka forgoes tsunami goodwill
The tragedy of the 2004 tsunami brought peace to Aceh after 30 years of conflict. In very similar circumstances, why did Sri Lanka take the opposite approach and abandon reconciliation?
Scratching the surface of inequality
Governments are responding to public disgust at financial greed by increasing taxes for high earners. But it’s a reminder that becoming a little less rich does not address extreme global inequalities.
Car scrappage may upset climate negotiations
Subsidies for scrapping old cars are all the rage in Europe. But will these handouts put developing countries in a positive frame of mind to make concessions for a new Kyoto agreement?
Climate adaptation or recycled development?
Climate change adaptation plans in developing countries often appear very similar to conventional development programmes. Could this become a source of confusion for donors?