Oct 24, 2008

HIV Discoverer Advocates More Science for AIDS Eradication

Even the most optimistic concede that continued complacency toward the rash of new infections that occur every year will cause the worldwide disease burden to far outweigh the treatment possibilities for the foreseeable future.

Sep 26, 2008

Will Agricultural Yields Fall Off the (Water) Table?

A number of experts argue that the food crisis that dominated headlines this spring and summer has diverted attention from the far larger problem of groundwater depletion. Raising agricultural output is the natural solution to rising food prices and food shortages, but doing so without considering the impact on water supplies will make the problem worse.

Sep 16, 2008

Free and Fair Trade in Healthcare

Aug 05, 2008

New AIDS Numbers Reveal Past Inaccuracies, and Conflict Over Best Approaches

The newest CDC data on HIV/AIDS infections in the United States suggest that the agency has underestimated new US infections by 40 percent since the late 1990s. The agency nonetheless asserts that the number of annual new has remained stable since the late nineties. The UN likewise says that new infection rates worldwide remained stable this year overall, with decreases in some countries (such as Uganda and Ethiopia) offset by increases in others (such as China, Russia and Vietnam). The conclusion being drawn from the evidence is that prevention efforts are failing the vulnerable.

Jul 21, 2008

Interview: United Way of America CEO Brian Gallagher

Recently we discussed United Way’s refocusing, the meaning of accountability, and the state of philanthropy in general with CEO Brian Gallagher.

Jun 23, 2008

Putting a Price on Water

The huge underwater aquifiers that have sustained agriculture in water scare regions in India and the Southwest United States have run dangerously low due to decades of uncontrolled pumping and wasteful irrigation. Without intervention, this scarcity will become only more acute, as farmers and other landowners preemptively pump even more in an effort to get as much as they can for themselves before it is gone. Making water a trade-able commodity that costs something based on availability and price is one solution to the problem.

Jun 17, 2008

Doing the Right Thing is Not Always Easy

Message fatigue can come about for any number of reasons. For one, constant bombardment with information about how bad things are can cause people to feel that their individual actions are meaningless. Equally concerning, however, is that the information donors need to make good decisions often becomes contradictory as an issue gets more attention.

May 30, 2008

New and Old School Philanthropy on Display

While “new” philanthropy is confronting the challenge of public and tax policy, some “old” philanthropy approaches are showing their value.

May 29, 2008

The AIDS Crisis and The Invisible Cure

Philanthropy Action interviewed AIDS journalist and activist Helen Epstein on her views of current treatment and prevention programs in Africa and how Western money can do better work for the African AIDS crisis.

May 26, 2008

When Do We Start Calling It Genocide?

When will we start calling the willful and purposeful actions of the Burmese government to kill hundreds of thousands of Burmese through starvation, exposure and disease genocide?