The New York times has an article on the terrible realities of child labor in Africa. It starts with:
Just before 5 a.m., with the sky still dark over Lake Volta, Mark Kwadwo was rousted from his spot on the damp dirt floor. It was time for work.
Shivering in the predawn chill, he helped paddle a [...]
The political crisis here continues with riots in cities, shutdowns of transportation systems and houses and cars being torched. Thousands have been injured and at least over 20 have been killed in the last two days. The political parties have not been able to settle on an interim government leader so the president announced tonight [...]
Things are heating up quite a bit over here. The 5 year term of the government finished yesterday and today a two-month interim government was supposed to take over with the sole purpose of holding elections in January. Late last night the transition was post-poned, the official reason being that former chief justice KM Hasan, [...]
From Marginal Revolution, a new prize for the most effective african leader and Jeffrey Sachs and Tyler Cowen on the Nordic Model.
Also, for Icelandic speakers I have a new column on Deiglan.com and for those who would like to call, a new number +880-171-320-2560.
Tyler Cowen points to an article in the New Yorker on Muhammad Yunnus and microcredit. The excerpt he gives would probably please William Easterly.
The WB Poverty & Growth Blog links to new research in trade models questioning current views on globalization.
CGD points to new television shows based on Sesame Street that are being created in [...]
From Center for Global Development (CGD):
Talking about religion, or faith to use a more general term, is about as popular a thing to do as overpaying your taxes, especially in the policy world. We shy away from the topic because of the personal, sometimes intense, reaction it elicits and, I suspect, because faith feels a [...]
I’ve unfortunately been out of touch here because of a range of computer problems. First the internet here in Rangpur wasn’t working for two days and then my power-adapter broke. Since I probably have the only Apple laptop in Northern Bangladesh we had to initiate a nation-wide search for a new one which just arrived. [...]
From the World Bank Private Sector Development blog, here are stories on 100$ laptops being ordered by Nigeria and Libya. More links on this:
Foreign Policy on the Libian deal.
Links to more news on this issue.
“a list of low-cost computing devices and initiatives for the developing world”.
A link to the MIT Media Lab 100$ [...]
Most parts of Bangadesh are below 10m above sea level and large parts of the country are frequently flooded.
I met these brothers last week on my rounds getting familiar with JiVitA data collection. The surroundings of their home, which you see in the background, had been flooded so the only way to bring supplies [...]
The Bangladeshi economist and professor, Muhammad Yunus, and the Grameen Bank he founded in 1976 were just awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2006. Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank are poineers of microfinance — i.e. awarding small loans to poor people (usually group of women) to help them start a small business.
Tyler Cowen has some [...]
