Philanthropy Action

Category: Poverty Alleviation

There are 55 entries in this category.

Apr 07, 2008

Grim News From Afghanistan

Poppy cultivation and wasted foreign aid are like twin sisters perpetuating the cycle of poverty within Afghanistan.

Mar 21, 2008

Emerging Opportunities in the US, Part II

More opportunities for high-impact philanthropy in the US.

Mar 19, 2008

More News of an Africa on the Economic Upswing

The commodities boom and bust in the 1980’s left most developing nations worse off than they started. Particularly hard hit was sub-Saharan Africa.

Mar 14, 2008

Legalization and Criminalization of Illicit Trade

Experts in a variety of fields passionately debate how to combat illicit trade in everything from drugs to endangered species to, worst of all, people. There are rational, credible arguments for both criminalizing and aggressively prosecuting those engaged in illicit trade and for legalizing and regulating the trade.

Mar 12, 2008

Remittances and Foreign Investment Trends Tell a Mixed Story for Latin America

Foreign direct investment is a critical element of poverty reduction in emerging market economies because it correlates directly with the creation of businesses, and therefore formal jobs, in those countries. By that calculation Brazil appears to be on a promising path.

Mar 05, 2008

Ethiopian Exchange Looks Promising

A group of donors, including the Ethiopian government, the World Bank and a few countries, such as the US, are funding the creation of a grain exchange in Addis Ababa

Feb 28, 2008

Emerging Opportunities for Philanthropy in the US

The current economic situation is generating many other possible opportunities for innovative and high-impact philanthropy. Here are a few ideas that are worth exploring.

Feb 25, 2008

China’s Role in African Infrastructure Development

It’s important to understand the reasons for the differences between Western aid/philanthropy and Chinese aid in Africa. While “fashion” in aid plays a role, Western donors have largely moved away from infrastructure projects because of the way in which they have been historically mired in deep corruption; and Western-funded buildings and roads have rarely been maintained once they’ve been built. Because of Chinese insistence on using Chinese firms and labor and the lack of transparency in many of these deals, there is reason to be concerned that China is undermining Western philanthropy’s investment in good governance and human development.

Feb 22, 2008

Bush’s Africa Trip Promises Money to Follow

President Bush’s support for Africa has been one of the highlights of his administration. In a much sited statistic, official aid to Africa has doubled on his watch, and if current commitments are met could lead to it doubling again within two more years.

Feb 18, 2008

Free Trade, Fair Trade and Poverty

It is extremely difficult in today’s globalized, complex economies to separate causes and correlations. While the US corn that Mexico is importing is not directly competing with the white corn crops produced by peasant farmers, the fact remains that the prices received by farmers in Mexico has fallen by roughly 70 percent since Nafta was implemented. At the same time, the cost of tortillas and corn flour purchased in Mexican supermarkets has increased dramatically. There are plenty of possible explanations for this that have nothing to do with Nafta, but common sense dictates that there is probably some relation.

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