Today is International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and also Blog Action Day 2014, with the theme of inequality. Professor David Hulme laments the fact that global poverty still continues to plague our world – despite previous headline-grabbing pledges by the richest nations. Today, as on all the previous days of the 21st century, […]
Why (Smart) Aid Matters
It looks, thankfully, like DFID has survived the brunt of austerity savings made since the financial crash of 2008. While backroom costs have been cut, the government has stuck to its commitment to earmark 0.7% of Gross National Income for Official Development Assistance. Though critics instinctively point to the development budget in suggesting where we […]
Why the Government should keep ‘discredited’ child poverty measures
Last week the government announced its child poverty strategy – but at the same time revealed that, after a year of consultation and consideration, it has still not been able to reach a conclusion on how to measure success. Prof Ruth Lupton explains why the government should stick with the measures it has got. Thanks […]
Microcredit and International Development: Contexts, Achievements and Challenges
Microcredit and International Development: Contexts, Achievements and Challenges. Edited by Farhad Hossain, Christopher Rees and Tonya Knight Millar. Routledge, 2011. Microfinance services have played important roles in the development of small and medium scale enterprises, writes Dr Justice Nyigmah Bawole. This title deals with contemporary experiences in the microfinance industry – and while it omits […]
Innovation in the water industry: Is the price too high?
While the recent hike in energy prices has made headlines, issues around the UK water supply get rather less attention. Breaching the UK’s impregnable ‘innovation barrier’ – to fix leaking pipes and tackle climate change – is one big challenge, writes Dr Andrew Balmer. Another is to prompt policymakers to be brave enough to ensure […]