Nov 13, 2007

The Pervasive Role of Markets in Malaria Treatment

Even when things such as bed nets or hydration salts or medications are given away for free, there are still market dynamics at work. This can be seen in how they are packaged, how they are priced, and even in how incentives are built in to ensure they are used properly.

Nov 12, 2007

Darfur Now

Nov 05, 2007

Will more agriculture in Africa help Africans eat?

The importance of a well-fed population to growth and prosperity is obvious. What does not seem clear, however, is the direct link these reports – and the reporting done on them – seem to draw between agriculture as a sector and large-scale decreases in poverty.

Oct 30, 2007

Farm Bills and Food Stamps

Given all the reporting on the many problems with current farm policy that has been done in the past year by publications from across the political spectrum it is baffling how the new farm bill can get passed looking even worse than it did before.

Oct 24, 2007

Misperception Breeds Misallocation

The New York Times recently reported on a study in which people were asked about the most common global causes of death in children under five. Respondents named AIDS and Malaria as the top two, yet the reality is that birth complications, respiratory illness and diarrheal disease are the real offenders.

Oct 10, 2007

Commodities and their Discontents

The American farm bill is perpetuating a deeply broken system that hurts everyone. There is some hope that the subsidies system will be curtailed as the Senate modifies the current version but we have a long way to go before the farm bill does what it is meant to: protect both farmers and those who consume their products. 

Oct 10, 2007

Tipping the Balance on Food Aid

US agriculture is intimately linked with food scarcity around the world. The impact is personal for the subsistence farmer: not only has her product been devalued by the flooding of her market with US-farmed commodities, but if she lives in or near a community that is the recipient of in-kind food aid she might find she doesn’t have any local buyers at all, since all her potential customers are now receiving their food for free. Thus she gets hit twice by US farm practices, a dynamic which is effectively putting her – and millions like her – out of business.

Oct 01, 2007

Water: Our Greatest Decadence

UNESCO claims that annual funding for the millennium development goal of halving the number of people around the world who lack access to safe drinking water is short by at least $10 billion. Now imagine if we could decrease our bottled water consumption by two-thirds and use the money to bring safe drinking water to the water-scarce regions?

Sep 27, 2007

More Money Does Not Always Lead to Better Education

The 2007 Education at a Glance report, published by the OECD, shows that among the world’s wealthiest countries, those who spend well more than average on education (the US included) do not see proportionate increases in the number of students who finish secondary school, or indeed go beyond.

Sep 27, 2007

An Opportunity in Burma?

If Burma’s nascent ‘saffron revolution’ can ultimately lead to the ouster of the military junta which has ruled for more than 40 years, there will be a tremendous opportunity for international philanthropy.