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Marenne M

Ebola Brings West Africa Economic Development to Screeching Halt - 0 views

  • United Nations Development Program finds the Ebola epidemic is dramatically setting back prospects for economic development in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
  • impact of Ebola has caused a breakdown in trust between these governments and their people.
  • fragility of the countries' health systems, a lack of health care workers, and cultural practices that often accelerate the spread of Ebola.
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  • “For instance, Liberia is going to record its first negative growth trend in 2014, which we estimate to be something as high as minus 1.8 percent negative growth, which is very serious,"
  • Ebola crisis in West Africa has resulted in job losses, rising food prices, and agricultural disruption.
  • harp drops in the use of health and education services are likely to increase poverty, child and maternal mortality, and facilitate the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria, particularly for the rural poor.
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    This article describes the impact of the Ebola virus on the economic development in Western Africa. The lack in health infrastructure has not only lead to negative economic growth, however it has also led to the decreased use of education and healthcare services, increased job losses, rising food prices, agricultural disruption, increased poverty, increased child and maternal mortality, and increased the spread of HIV/AIDS. The initially poor infrastructure in Western Africa has led to negative development.
Haydn W

Will ′Modinomics′ help boost India′s development? | Asia | DW.DE | 12.01.2015 - 1 views

  • Will 'Modinomics' help boost India's development?
  • In a bid to transform India's economy, PM Narendra Modi has pledged unlimited reforms at a summit in Gujarat.
  • Indian PM Narendra Modi pledged to slash red tape and banish India's reputation as a hard place to do business. Modi spoke of his plans to lift hundreds of millions of Indians out of poverty, including the opening of more than 100 million bank accounts
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  • More than six months into Modi's rule, India's economic growth remains sluggish, with GDP expanding at an average of 5.2 percent in the first three quarters of 2014.
  • Kerry told the summit the United States looks forward to stronger trade and diplomatic ties with India. Kerry's visit to the South Asian nation, his second in six months, comes just a few weeks before US President Barack Obama is due in New Delhi for talks.
  • Rajiv Biswas, Asia-Pacific Chief Economist at the analytics firm IHS, says that while replicating the Gujarat model across a large and politically disparate country such as India will be difficult, PM Modi's management style is likely to accelerate economic development in significant parts of India, particularly in states where his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) holds state government.
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    This interview details the style of policy making to promote growth initated by Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister. Economic growth and development is arguably the most important area of policy in India and will be a huge focal point of any international discussions centered around the region.
Daniel Soto Aggard

Colorado Springs economic development: Moving forward in 2015 - 0 views

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    Colorado Springs Economic Development Corporation has been seeing a lack of economic development in the past year of 2014. This corporation hasn't achieved their goals of creating 2000 jobs. However they're not even halfway there. For this corporation to increase economic development within the are of economic development, more people must be employed in order to increase the output and therefore the GDP
Clemence Lafeuille

The Role of Central Bank in a Developing Economy of a Country - 0 views

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    Fair enough, this is not the classic article we usually post here. Nonetheless, I found it to be an article that emphasises the role of central bank, a little bit like a mini notebook. It connects central bank to economic development well and explains what are possibilities of policies for the central bank.
John B

What trade offs come with Austin housing? City investigates - Austin Business Journal - 0 views

  • housing prices are going up in the area — through they're still considered very reasonable compared to many coastal markets
  • The city's housing survey, conducted by the Austin office of Neighborhood Housing and Community Development, has so far found that more than half those who moved to Austin made some sort of trade off in order to live where they do.
  • more than half those who moved to Austin made some sort of trade off in order to live where they do.
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    Micheal Theis writes that according to a survey conducted by the Austin office of Neighborhood Housing and Community Development, more than half of the ones who moved to Austin had made some kind of a trade off to be able to live where they do. This is because the housing prices are going up and are considered very high.
Clemence Lafeuille

Govt sets up Export Promotion Council for telecom sector - 0 views

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    This article is about an export-promotion strategy the government is going to follow to promote the telecom sector. Increases in the revenue from this sector are expected, and I found the article very interesting since India is one of the developing countries developing at the fastests rates.
Clemence Lafeuille

India Ranks 135 in Human Development Index: Report - 0 views

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    This article is really nice as it gives HDI, GII and GDI information about India. Additionally, it states how India has had progress in the 3 components of HDI over the years, but that it still has a relatively low ranking in HDI. This shows that the whole of the world is then slowly improving on HDI levels.
Aleksi B

Hybrid air, a full hybrid gasoline system, compressed air car engine - 0 views

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    This article explains a new development that allows gasoline and air to be combined to create a more fuel efficient eco friendly car
John B

A Fair, Free Market Or The Copyright Monopoly? - Falkvinge on Infopolicy - 0 views

  • The copyright industry likes to pretend that making copies is somehow “stealing” and that on a fair and free market, everybody would be forced to buy from them.
  • the copyright industry deliberately confuses the goods that they offer for sale with the service of duplication, which is a completely different kind of offering. The service of duplication is what’s on an immoral, anachronistic monopoly, not the goods themselves.
  • In my world, and in a fair and free market, any entrepreneur or executive that claims a moral right to prohibit others by law from competing with them can fuck off and die.
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    this article wants to tell us that the copyright monopoly is something bad. That it slows down the development in the future. Personally, I would say that this article is not thought through since it is contradicting and use language like "can fuck off and die". The writer aims a lot on the right of duplicating, and that copyright monopoly stands in its way for that. I would say that duplicating something that a company has put a lot of money and time on, would not be morally right, because the one that is duplicating it will spend a very little fortune and time on doing this compared to the real producers. It is actually a pretty bad article, it feels like the writer tries to promote the duplication right of copying movies, programs, etc. and then share it on for example pirate bay.
Talisha R

Water Scarcity - 0 views

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    I think this article relates to what we are studying as it mainly talks about scarcity. It says that water scarcity is one of the main challenges in Delhi, there is a huge demand for it but they need to learn how to distribute it around the city. People usually do not think that water is scarce, however this article shows that it is and people need to learn how to effectively distribute it.
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    Water scarcity is a very tough argument. We are consuming very high quantities of water and a huge part is being wasted. The study of economics may help people the population to make a "production possibility curve" so that the use of water is balanced.
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    It's really important that everyone start to realize how bad this cold be in the long run. If this wasteful use of water continues, we are going to face some serious consequences. Scientists should start working on developing new methods for agricultural use of water, as agriculture is considered to be on top of the consuming industries of water in many areas. meanwhile I think that countries should develop a water consuming rule, that somehow reduces water consumption.
Aleksi B

Spain unemployment to take 10 years to recover - report - RT Business - 1 views

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    In this article stated that Spain's largest bank made a claim saying the unemployment will take over a decade just to fix. Spain are in a large amount of debt as they rose from last year and the Spanish research and development spending is 70% below the EU level
Haydn W

Fossil fuel subsidies 'killing UK's low-carbon future' | Environment | The Guardian - 0 views

  • Fossil fuel subsidies 'killing UK's low-carbon future'
  • despite commitments to cut carbon emissions and reduce "perverse" fossil fuel subsidies.
  • Britain is "shooting itself in the foot" by subsidising its coal, oil and gas industries by $4.2bn (£2.6bn) a year even as government reviews the "green levies" on energy bills which support energy efficiency and renewable power, according to a report published on Thursday.
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  • The figures from the Overseas Development Institute suggest that Britain is now the world's fifth largest subsidiser of fossil fuels
  • For every $1 spent to support renewable energy, another $6 were spent on fossil fuel subsidies
  • In 2011, the latest year for which data is available, Britain gave tax breaks of £280m to oil and gas producers and reduced VAT on fossil fuels by several billion pounds
  • Rich countries have committed to phase out "inefficient" fossil fuel subsidies but the ODI figures, drawn from the International energy agency, OECD and other sources, suggest global subsidies to fossil fuel producers totalled $523bn a year in 2011 – dwarfing subsidies to renewable energies.
  • £2.6bn yearly incentive favours investment in carbon at the expense of green energy, says thinktank
  • In effect, each of the 11.6bn tonnes of carbon emitted from the top 11 developed countries comes with an average subsidy of $7 a tonne – around $112 for every adult
  • The figures have been released as ministers prepare to go to Poland for the deadlocked UN climate talks and as uncertainty surrounds the future of government-mandated levies on energy bills that support fuel poverty schemes and renewable energy.
  • G20 governments accepted in 2009 that fossil fuel subsidies encourage wasteful consumption, reduce energy security, and undermine efforts to deal with the threat of climate change.
  • The report said: "Investors are being sent the wrong signals on two fronts as carbon prices decline and fossil fuel subsidies increase."
  • The report argues that fossil fuel subsidies also fail in one of their core stated objectives, which is to to benefit the poorest.
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    This article describes how the UK government is heavily subsidising fossil fuel producers instead of prioritising and investing money in renewable sources of energy. Although it is essential to keep crude oil and fossil fuel prices low, as they are essential to many businesses, consumers and indeed the country itself, the G20, of which the UK is part of, has made a commitment to phasing out fossil fuels in favour of greener and more sustainable energy sources. 
Haydn W

Mexican Central Bank Head Warns of Spillover Effects of Dramatic Monetary Policies - WS... - 0 views

  • SINTRA, Portugal—The head of Mexico's central bank said Tuesday that he supports the dramatic measures that central bankers in advanced economies have taken to stabilize their economies, but emerging markets must be mindful of the spillover effects these policies may have.
  • "The unconventional monetary policies have…established the ground for a recovery in economic activity," said Agustin Carstens, governor of Mexico's central bank
  • The inflows have led to higher exchange rates in emerging markets, Mr. Carstens said, weakening exports, as well as a compression of interest rates, leading to bubbles in some real-estate markets.
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  • One byproduct of these policies has been to pump new money into financial markets. Some of that money has found its way to emerging markets as investors sought higher-yielding assets.
  • "Authorities need to think about how they can spread, through time, the adjustment process,"
  • More broadly, emerging economies "shouldn't depend on advanced economies to generate growth," Mr. Carstens said.
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    Agustin Carstens, governor of the Central Bank of Mexico warns about the spillover affects into the developing world from advanced economies' banks' monetary policies. Money has found its way into emerging markets leading to higher exchange rates and weakening exports according to Carstens. This is a dangerous bubble that could be liable to burst should growth pick up soon. Overall this article provides an interesting insight into how one countries policy choices can have global consequences and how international economics really is.
Haydn W

South Africa at 20: Storms behind the rainbow - Opinion - Al Jazeera English - 1 views

  • April 27 marks the 20th anniversary of South Africa's first democratic elections.
  • Many things have improved in South Africa since 1994, to be sure. State racism has ended, and the country now boasts what some have described as the most progressive constitution in the world. People have rights, and they know that there are institutions designed to protect and uphold those rights. Still, everyday life for most South Africans remains a struggle - a struggle that is infinitely compounded by the sense of disappointment that accompanies it, given the gap between the expectations of liberation and the state of abjection that the majority continues to inhabit.
  • South Africa's unemployment rate in 1994 was 13 percent - so bad that most were convinced it could only get better. Yet today it is double that, at about 25 percent.
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  • Still, when the ANC assumed power in 1994 it implemented a progressive policy initiative known as the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). The RDP was designed to promote equitable development and poverty reduction
  • South Africa also boasts a reputation for being one of the most unequal countries in the world. Not only has aggregate income inequality worsened since the end of apartheid, income inequality between racial groups has worsened as well.
  • According to the 2011 census, black households earn only 16 percent of that which white households earn. About 62 percent of all black people live below the poverty line, while in the rural areas of the former homelands this figure rises to a shocking 79 percent.
  • The ANC's Black Economic Empowerment programme has succeeded in minting new black millionaires (South Africa has 7,800 of them now), but can't seem to manage the much more basic goal of eliminating poverty.
  • during the negotiated transition of the 1980s and early 1990s. The apartheid National Party was determined that the transition would not undermine key corporate interests in South Africa, specifically finance and mining. They were willing to bargain away political power so long as they could retain control over the economy. And so they did.
  • The ANC was forced to retreat from its position on nationalisation and an IMF deal signed just before the transition deregulated the financial sector and clamped down on wage increases.
  • And that's according to official statistics; a more reasonable figure, according to most analysts, is probably closer to 37 percent. The situation is particularly bad for young people. The Economist recently reported that "half of South Africans under 24 looking for work have none. Of those who have jobs, a third earn less than $2 a day."
  • Despite its successes, this policy framework was abandoned a mere two years later. Mbeki and then Finance Minister Trevor Manuel held clandestine discussions with World Bank advisors toward drafting a new economic policy known as GEAR (Growth, Employment, and Redistribution, even though it accomplished precious little of the latter).
  • Given these contradictions, it's no wonder that South Africa is ablaze with discontent, earning it the title of "protest capital of the world".
  • Early this year some 3,000 protests occurred over a 90-day period, involving more than a million people. South Africans are taking to the streets, as they give up on electoral politics. This is particularly true for the young: Nearly 75 percent of voters aged 20-29 did not participate in the 2011 local elections.
  • The government's response has been a mix of police repression - including the recent massacre of 44 striking miners at Marikana - and the continued rollout of welfare grants, which now provide a vital lifeline to some 15 million people.
  • So far the protests have been focused on issues like access to housing, water, electricity, and other basic services, but it won't be long before they coalesce into something much more powerful
  • as they did during the last decade of apartheid. There are already signs that this is beginning to happen. The Economic Freedom Fighters, recently founded by Julius Malema, the unsavory former leader of the ANC Youth League, is successfully mobilising discontented youth and making a strong push to nationalise the mines and the banks.
  • It seems that the ANC's legitimacy is beginning to unravel and consent among the governed has begun to thin. It is still too early to tell, but the death of Mandela may further widen this crack in the edifice of the ruling regime, as the ANC scrambles to shore up its symbolic connection to the liberation struggle.
  • In short, the situation in South Africa over the past 20 years opens up interesting questions about the meaning of democracy. What is democracy if it doesn't allow people to determine their own economic destiny or benefit from the vast wealth of the commons? What is freedom if it serves only the capital interests of the country's elite? The revolution that brought us the end of apartheid has accomplished a great deal, to be sure, but it has not yet reached its goal. Liberation is not yet at hand.
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    From Al Jazeera I chose this article about the poor state of the economy in South Africa, 20 years after Nelson Mandela and the ANC came to power, ending the system of political, social and economic segregation, Apartheid. Despite reforms in the 90's the majority of wealth and power is still held by rich whites. With around 30% unemployment rate and young people struggling to find work many feel only anger and resentment to the current ANC government led by Jacob Zuma. Economically speaking South Africa's imports are up and exports down, reducing GDP as AS is shifted left. This is especially evident in industries like mining and banking which many are now calling for to be nationalised. 20 years on from Nelson Mandela's historic victory in the 1994 general election, South Africa, despite being free of the shackles of segregation is not in the boom many predict. The ANC must be careful in there actions, should they, following the death of Madiba lose contact with his legacy and what he stood for.
Pip Dop

U.N. Climate Chief: We're 'Intentionally' Transforming The World Economy - 0 views

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    The UN has made the intentional decision to transform the current economic development model, one that has been followed for 150 years, or since the industrial revolution. Particular attention will be attributed to the issue of climate change.
Jakub B

Exporters shift production to countries with lower energy costs - 0 views

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    The article is about Greek firms that use offshoring to reduce the costs of production. They have been shifting production to countries like Bulgaria in a greater and greater extent. As the producers claim, they can spend only a third of their former costs in countries less developed than Greece.
Haydn W

Comcast-Time Warner Cable: How a monopoly can get even worse for you - latimes.com - 1 views

  • Comcast's $45-billion offer for Time Warner Cable, a deal that will cement Comcast's position as the dominant cable operator in America.
  • The idea is that already the cable industry is a web of monopolies -- no neighborhood in the country has more than one cable operator to choose from.
  • the merger "will in effect turn two medium-size regional monopolists into a big sprawling monopolist.
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  • Comcast CEO Brian Roberts tried to finesse the issue Thursday by arguing that the deal "does not reduce competition in any market or in any way,"
  • But the ramifications of the cable monopoly go beyond mere access to channels on your set-top box. As we observed back in August, the more damaging consequence of the cable monopoly is in broadband Internet access, where the power of the cable firms' monopolies is magnified by the lack of practical alternatives to their Internet services.
  • n general, the U.S. has the lowest connection speeds and the highest prices in the developed world. The New America Foundation serveyed the world in 2012 to determine what customers could get for the equivalent of $35 a month. In Hong Kong, they could download from the Internet at 500 megabits per second (a half a gigabit); in Tokyo 200 Mbps; in Seoul, Paris, Bucharest (Romania) and Berlin 100. In Los Angeles, 10. Los Angeles is a Time Warner Cable monopoly.
  • The constraint here isn't technological, but commercial. Our fat and secure cable monopolies simply don't feel competitive pressure to provide customers with the fastest speeds at reasonable, affordable rates.
  • We need more competition, not less; and allowing Comcast and Time Warner Cable to merge means much, much less.
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    This article discusses the ramifications of the Comcast - Time Warner Cable merger in America. The two biggest internet and cable providers in the country are set to merge effectively creating one monopoly firm. The market has the charactersists of a monopoly in the fact that new firms can not really enter, even huge phone providers like Verizon and Sprint are having to stop rolling out fibre optic broadband, meaning internet speeds for there customers are set to remain slow. The cable industry is often a typical example of a monopolistic market and it looks set to stay this way. 
Fiete M

Tesla moves ahead from Google in race to build self-driving cars - 0 views

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    This article is a good example of scarcity I believe because, it shows that there is a huge demand for robotic self-driving cars or in other words, they are scarce. This leads to many companies like google or Tesla starting to develope self-driving cars because they know that due to the scarcity of the product, they can charge big amounts of money and make a huge profit.
Amanda Anna G

Help-to-Buy: George Osborne makes major concession | Heather Stewart | Business | thegu... - 0 views

  • Subsidising high LTV mortgages in boom-bust UK housing market was political masterstroke – but economic madness
  • The centrepiece of this year's budget, Help to Buy was a political masterstroke, pumping up public confidence just as many potential buyers were thinking about returning to the estate agent's, and helping the government to claim credit for an upswing in the property market that had already been kicked off by the Funding for Lending Scheme.Economically, however, Help to Buy is madness, as the Treasury select committee, the International Monetary Fund and the outgoing governor of the Bank of England all lined up to say.
  • Offering taxpayer subsidies for high loan-to-value mortgages worth up to £600,000, just as the incorrigibly boom-bust British housing market is moving from stop-to-go mode, is at best risky, at worst, downright reckless.
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  • Initially, the Treasury's argument was that the scheme would help to spark a building boom, as the surge in demand for homes prompted developers to re-start long-stalled projects.Housebuilding has picked up modestly – but by common consent it remains well below the levels that would be required to keep prices stable.
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    The "Help to Buy" was a political masterstroke since, among other things, the government got help with the claim for a credit for an upswing in the property market, helping to spark a building boom. I think, the offering taxpayer subsidies, will help allocate resources in the free market since more will get willingly to pay for houses. But this is risky for the British housing market, since the levels that would be required to keep prices stable will remain below what is needed.
Daniel B

Little to fear but fear itself - 0 views

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    Africa is or rather used to be the biggest exporter of raw materials. The demand on their commodities come mostly from China, Brazil as well as India. The cooling in economy of China causes drop in demand for oil, wood etc.
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    I think Africa is one of the richest continents, if not the the richest, however, unfortunately its people are amongst the poorest and least developed in the world.
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