Tag Archive
Hydraulic Despotism: A Literal Interpretation & Analysis
“Access to safe water is a fundamental human need and, therefore, a basic human right. Contaminated water jeopardizes both the physical and social health of all people. It is an affront to human dignity.” (Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General, 2001) Introduction In 1957, Karl August Wittfogel wrote about “hydraulic civilizations” – societies that maintained... »
A Behavioral Economic Framework for Fighting Poverty and Promoting Freedom & Development
Introduction Institutional solutions towards addressing human rights and developmental problems are often grounded in empirical analyses, with a predominant focus on macroeconomic indicators with socio-political dimensions. While economics is the study of choices and incentives, purely analytical approaches often tend to ignore the human dimension and the human basis for those choices. Policies that... »
The Pigsty and the $100 Laptop
“Schools built on pigsties!” is the title of a lead article in the Mexican newspaper Reforma (March 22, 2010). According to reporter del Valle, 2 out of 10 schools in Mexico are “repurposed buildings”, and more than 30% do not have access to potable running water (del Valle, Reforma). Parents in the state of... »
A Capitalist’s Apology: Free Markets, Freedom, and Development
“Capitalism: A system of economic organization, based on market competition, under which the means of production, distribution, and exchange are privately owned by individuals or corporations.” (Oxford World Encyclopedia, 2007) The Devil and his Capitalist Much has been written on the symbiotic natures of freedom and development. While development in itself is touted as... »
Development Aid and its Limitations
Pogge states that the aggregate shortfall from the World Bank’s $2/day poverty line of all those 40 percent of human beings who now live below this line amounts to only 0.7 percent of the global product or less than 1 percent of the combined GNIs of the high-income countries. My first critique was to... »
Linkage between Human Rights and Development – Democracy is not enough!
A question went through my mind recently: Why is the practice of human rights limited in underdeveloped or developing countries? Here, what I mean by human rights are basic needs like education and health care. I am not talking about political rights to vote or rights like the right to freedom of speech. Rather,... »
Microfinance and the Human Condition: A Bottom-Up Approach towards Promoting Freedom and Development
“…poverty may be defined as a human condition characterized by sustained or chronic deprivation of the resources, capabilities, choices, security and power necessary for the enjoyment of an adequate standard of living and other civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights” (United Nations Committee on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights, 2001) Introduction One of... »