Development Economics

The adverse effects of corruption are demonstrated in this article with oil giants, Eni and Shell, in the dock. They, of course, deny it.

However, the scale of the corruption is staggering: the article notes that "OPL 245 deal in 2011 deprived Nigeria of double its annual education and healthcare budget." That's quite some developmental impact.

This is one of the biggest ever corruption investigations, and some think it has wider implications for the sector as a whole.  

It's interesting to note that the Access to Medicine Foundation  is of the view that big pharma is failing to develop the drugs most desperately required by the world's poorest economies. It seems that they're prepared to focus on the show-stoppers, that deal with HIV/AIDS and malaria, but not more mundane conditions. 

Another great Development Economics clip that highlights another entrepreneur making a difference in sub-Saharan Africa. This time, Charles Ofori Antipem is looking to revolutionise the teaching of science in Ghana, and with it also create employment opportunities.

His vision is for schools to be able to afford small science kits costing $15 to introduce their students to elementary electronics.

The World Bank looks at the fact that extreme poverty remains problematic - and how the Bank is looking at how to further the development of poverty measures to fully create a Societal Poverty Index which looks at the many forms of poverty.

It's an interesting clip but I can't help shouting at the screen "it's the Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns, stupid!" during the first 30 seconds of it. 

Venezuela: an economic basket case. This article briefly touches upon the extent of hyperinflation in the country and some of the unusual ways that the government is trying to tackle it, via the creation of a cryptocurrency, the petro, and encouraging Venezuelans to cultivate their own food, for example by keeping rabbits for their meat.

This BBC clip looks at how Prashant Lingam is developing a way of transforming plastic waste into a construction material capable of building homes and pavements.

The size of the IMF bailout to Argentina has been increased from an anticipated $50bn to $57bn. The plunge in the value of the peso, and the effects of a drought have meant that the economy has contracted and Argentina faces troubled times ahead. 

First the Chinese, then the Indians.

This BBC clip looks at how the city of Noida, close to New Delhi, has seen 25 brands of smartphone located there. 30% of the world's smartphones are manufactured there. Why?

In the first place, it's a response to a 10% import duty on smartphones but indigenous manufacturers, such as Lava are feeling threatened by this influx.

An unusual angle on Indian farming: the state of Sikkim, in the extreme North East, has been declared fully organic. This clip looks at whether this might reinvigorate Indian agriculture.

This World Bank clip looks at the most fundamental property right of all: to an identity. The Identification for Development Program is trying to give the 1 billion people without proof of identity their identity and thus greater ability to access public services among other things.

We take this for granted. We shouldn't. A sizeable minority lack this fundamental right.

One of my favourite types of story: the application of technology to enhance developmental outcomes. This time, it's Nigeria that is going to benefit with an app called Chowberry allowing retailers to advertise stock that is nearing its sell-by-date and giving NGOs that information allowing them to buy food cheap for distribution and alleviate hunger. The app reduces food waste and allows the charities' funds to go much further.

However, is the next step to cut out the middleman and link the retailers with consumers, or does a lack of income mean that this service should be exclusively about linking NGOs and retailers?

This BBC article highlights an oft-overlooked aspect of development: the need for basic sanitation. Over 2 billion people lack access to basic toilets, despite technological advances in toilets that would improve sanitation. However, the problem seems to be that the technology requires regular maintenance that is most easily provided in urban areas - hence, at the moment, there has been little take-up of these devices.  

The WHO looks at how to tackle malaria, noting that a new country-based approach to eradicating the disease is working. The clip mixes microeconomics - in that there are clear references to scarce resources - and an overarching global framework, the Roll Back Malaria initiative, to share best practice, in highlighting how best to tackle the issue and enhance developmental outcomes. 

Just a brilliant clip underlining what great engineers Africans are: Lawrence Okettayot has created a food dryer, that can significantly increase the capacity of rural Africans to dry and store food for up to two years, increasing food security and simultaneously reducing food waste.

It is a straightforward invention with the chance to make a real difference to the lives of the rural poor.

The World Bank has launched a new developmental index designed to measure the extent to which economies invest in health and education, so as to make the most of their human capital. It is hoped that this will shame certain countries into improving their provision in these sectors.

However, at first glance, I don't think that it actually tells us very much - the countries at the bottom are also, unsurprisingly, at the bottom of the UN's Human Development Index too. The only possible plus that I see, is that it might change the emphasis on approaches to development, but even then only at the margin.

"Kenya's GDP for the second quarter of 2018 rose by 6.3 per cent compared to 4.7 per cent in the same quarter last year. The growth, which is the highest Q2 since 2013 was attributed to a relatively stable macroeconomic environment and favourable weather conditions."

"After more than a year of evaluation, Chile’s environmental authority has approved the development of what it would be Latin America’s largest desalination plant"

The clip looks at the World Bank's latest efforts to tackle famine and food security. It is about applying the latest technology to manage data and give earlier famine warning.

However, it might be reflecting on the fact that Amartya Sen would probably quibble with the definition of famine - his view is that famines have never occurred in truly democratic states. 

Lots to ponder in this clip: not least the impact of conflict on development. However, this World Bank clip highlights the importance of food security to development and in the context of Yemen that's not something that can be taken for granted.

It seems that poverty reduction is slower than we would like, with the latest World Bank data suggesting that fallout from the ongoing Syrian civil war and population growth in East Africa have reduced the capacity of these regions to reduce poverty.

A Ghanaian entrepreneur has started selling an electronics kit which he hopes will revolutionise STEM teaching in Africa, and encourage more children to become scientists.

It highlights how important education is to development. Without more scientists, Africa is unlikely to meet its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) regarding sanitation and access to clean water.