Monthly Archives: January 2011
Why China’s Model of Development in Africa is Working
The answer to the title of this post is that China is using the same model of development to develop other countries that it used to develop itself. And China is a shining example of why its own model works. … Continue reading
The Next Non-Story About Big Aid
This isn’t surprising: A $21.7 billion health fund championed by the rich and famous has come under harsh scrutiny amid revelations it’s bleeding money to corruption. But fund officials and outside experts in the field have a stark message for … Continue reading
Posted in Development Economics, Foreign Policy
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Impact Investing: Venture Capital for Do-Gooders Takes Off
The other day a friend put me in touch with a friend of his who had just moved to Accra. She works the Acumen Fund, a social venture capital fund that invests in promising entrepreneurs in developing countries. The use … Continue reading
Invisible Barriers: Land Tenure for Women in Ghana
I attended a gender sensitivity training put on by a partner of ADVANCE. The training was given to two offices with whom I’m trying to work, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to meet and get to … Continue reading
Posted in Agriculture, Development Economics
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Old Jews Telling Jokes
It’s like looking into a mirror and seeing myself in 40 years: And me in 60 years…
Posted in Travel and Culture
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Small-Scale Pineapple Processors Discover Ruthless Capitalism
I have spent the last week in the region around Accra meeting with small-scale pineapple processors. ADVANCE has six offices, each with about six field business facilitators (FBF). I have been working with Collins, the pineapple FBF out of the … Continue reading
Posted in Agriculture, Development Economics
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The Anthropology of Food: Adobo in the Philippines
The Philippines has a rich and complex history that is colored by practically as many different cultures as there are islands. A guy I used to work with used to love telling me about his favorite professor in college, who … Continue reading
Next Billion Post: Energy to the BOP Made “Simple”
For my second post at Next Billion, I wrote about a company called Simpa Networks. Simpa was founded by Jacob Winiecki and Mike MacHarg, two people I have known since I started out in the development game. Here is a … Continue reading
Are Conditional Cash Transfers Really the Answer?
A while back I wrote about conditional cash transfers, which are the next biggest thing in development, in a post called “Where’s My Money, Fool,” titled so as an homage to the curler-wearing drug dealer Big Worm in the movie … Continue reading
Posted in Development Economics, Foreign Policy
Tagged bolsa familia, brazil, conditional cash transfers, poverty
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The Road to Agricultural Self-Sufficiency in Africa
In a new book, Calestous Juma makes the case that Africa can ‘feed itself in a generation.’ Self-sufficiency is ideal, but there are some major roadblocks. Here is the problem: Global food production has rocketed in recent decades but has … Continue reading
Posted in Agriculture, Development Economics
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