http://www.inwent.org/ez/rss 5 Readers' feedback to the articles of Henning Andresen, Benjamin Luig and Armin Paasch in our March edition, of Cletus Gregor Barié in the February edition and of Karim Okanla and Edward Harris in our May edition. http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/220545/index.en.shtml http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/220545/index.en.shtml 2012-05-22 10:15 In late April, a UN Special Court based in The Hague, found former Liberian President Charles Taylor guilty because of the role he played in Sierra Leone’s eleven-year civil war. The trade in blood diamonds was the focal point of the trial, which demonstrated how natural resource exploitation can serve to fund armed conflict and lead to the abuse of human rights. By Floreana Miesen http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/220543/index.en.shtml http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/220543/index.en.shtml 2012-05-21 09:50 India is the world’s third-largest producer of iron ore and coal. Mining is lucrative but it causes conflicts: people are displaced so that corporations can exploit their land. Laws to protect the environment and Adivasis (tribals), who mainly inhabit large areas in India’s mining belt, are not enforced. By Aditi Roy Ghatak http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/220537/index.en.shtml http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/220537/index.en.shtml 2012-05-18 06:30 To a large extent, social development depends on resources, including human potential and capacity. But political will and governance matter too. The state must do more than allow markets to operate. By Henning Melber http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/220535/index.en.shtml http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/220535/index.en.shtml 2012-05-16 12:37 In most parts of the world, street vendors are a feature of urban life. While some unemployed people try to make a living this way, others cause mischief and some are plain criminals. In Malawi, street vending, crime and political activism have blended a frightening way – and women tend to be the main victims. By Raphael Mweninguwe http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/220533/index.en.shtml http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/220533/index.en.shtml 2012-05-15 11:38 Natural resources often prove a curse for a country. Elites exploit the wealth without paying attention to people’s needs. They have no incentive to allow their nation’s human resources to develop. Oxford economist Paul Collier, however, argues that there is an alternative to plunder. Interview with Paul Collier http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/220525/index.en.shtml http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/220525/index.en.shtml 2012-05-14 10:11 In Latin America, only children from well to-do families tend to get a chance to study. Lacking access to higher learning has become a mobilising issue for social activists. Interview with Ramón Garcia-Ziemsen http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/220521/index.en.shtml http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/220521/index.en.shtml 2012-05-11 06:30 Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo (pictured on the front page) are two rising stars among the development economists. They are professors at the Massachussetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He earned his first academic degrees at the University of Calcutta, she earned hers at the École Normale Supérieur in Paris. Together, they have taken a new approach to poverty studies. Basically, they test small interventions in poor communities and compare the results with data from similar groups without intervention. The idea is to understand how disadvantaged people make decisions, and what kind of support best helps them improve their lot. By Hans Dembowski http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/220518/index.en.shtml http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/220518/index.en.shtml 2012-05-10 11:06 On 11 May 2012, a new international instrument will be endorsed at a special session of the reformed UN Committee on World Food Security. The instrument has the lengthy title “Voluntary Guidelines on Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Forests and Fisheries in the Context of National Food Security“. It is an ­important achievement. By Michael Windfuhr http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/220516/index.en.shtml http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/220516/index.en.shtml 2012-05-09 09:43 Africa is witnessing rapid change. Urbanisation, a commodities boom and new communication technologies are increasingly marking day-to-day life. However, economic growth does not benefit all people, and manufacturing is still in its infancy. An interesting research agenda is how the continent should develop, and what is required to gear growth towards the right goals. By Linda Kleeman, Alexander Freese and Michael Grimm http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/220514/index.en.shtml http://www.inwent.org/ez/articles/220514/index.en.shtml 2012-05-08 10:55