With a budget of US$3.8 billion for 2009 the Gates Foundation has great ambitions and a big war chest. But will their technology-based approach deliver health solutions? Ana Arroio argues that the Foundation needs to ensure that technology promotes development.
Though our work and research on matters of global economic governance continues, our posting here does not. For up-to-date information on the latest GEG news and research, please check the main GEG website and Facebook page.
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April 29, 2009 / aid
Tags: aid, development, health, intellectual property, technology
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One-World Elasticities
Comments OffApril 27, 2009 / financial crisis, G20If we had the numbers in front of us, what would a fair “global-bang-for-the-buck” stimulus package look like? George Gray Molina argues that the bailout debate is about different things in the developed and developing worlds, making the global stimulus question one of politics, not technical detail.
Tags: developing countries, financial crisis, G20, george gray molina
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April 14, 2009 / migration
The global refugee regime does not and cannot adequately address the needs of millions of survival migrants fleeing collapsed states such as Zimbabwe. As well as being a regional crisis, the situation of millions of Zimbabwean migrants in Southern Africa highlights the need to reform the international institutional framework for the protection of vulnerable undocumented migrants fleeing the consequences of economic and social catastrophe.
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April 6, 2009 / financial crisis, G20, imf, world bank
The G20 deal was an extraordinary achievement. But for all the positives, it’s important to recognise what the G20 has not delivered. If one of the benchmarks for measuring success is delivery for sub-Saharan Africa and the world’s poorest countries, the outcome is mixed at best – and disappointing at worst. The result is somewhere around 5/6 out of 10.
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April 2, 2009 / aid, climate change, financial crisis, G20, imf, trade, world bank, wto
The G20 leaders’ communiqué today has provided a vital boost for global trade, but several important trade-related commitments – to developing countries, to sustainable development and to multilateralism – were disappointing or missing. With a further G20 meeting scheduled before the end of the year, leaders must now deepen and expand their trade agenda to address these shortfalls. At the same time, they must acknowledge the democratic deficits of the G20 and explore more inclusive alternatives for global economic decision-making – in particular those that would ensure greater representation of the world’s poorest countries.
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April 2, 2009 / aid, financial crisis, G20
Despite all the statements and rhetoric to the contrary, there is little doubt that foreign aid from rich countries will contract as a consequence of the global financial crisis. Averting such further impact of the global crisis calls for urgent and innovative solutions to both the quantity and quality of foreign aid. Proposals to increase aid in times of crisis require important institutional reforms aimed at addressing the shortcomings of the existing aid system. While political appetite for such reforms may not be high at the moment, extraordinary times require extraordinary solutions. The G20 and other development actors need to step up to the plate.
Tags: aid, financial crisis, G20
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The G20 meeting in London will bring together leaders focusing on the global economic crisis. The financial crisis could contribute to a health crisis poor countries. The G20 can take actions to avert a health crisis. We spell these actions out in a policy brief available here.
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What does crisis mean?
Comments OffApril 2, 2009 / financial crisis, G20The current media discourse around the G20 summit can broadly be divided into two camps: There are those who are critical of the agenda because it neglects issues such as climate change and international development; and there are those who doubt whether any substantive agreement can be reached amongst such a diverse set of nations with diverse interests. A worrying trend lamented by both camps is the 47 major measures to restrict trade which have been implemented by several countries since the last G20 leaders’ summit in Washington.
What is missing from the discourse and what underpins all of these concerns is the endogenous nature of the global financial crisis.
Tags: G20, global interdependency, international development, normative constraints, shared meaning
