Comments on: The market in economic development:’the best listening device we have’

By: Michael

Michael — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 14:25:52 +0000

Sorry, lost track of this discussion. Report here in case you hadn't found it yourselves.

By: Club Troppo » Missing Link - APEC security overkill edition

Club Troppo » Missing Link - APEC security overkill edition — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 10:53:51 +0000

[...] Gruen discovered a charity he could get excited about. 11. gilmae: Shan’t make joke about excited economists. [] Gruen also sees the flipside of [...]

By: invig

invig — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 08:04:17 +0000

However, if I am preaching to the converted (I see some very illustrious bloggers are slated to attend, and GetUp are the major sponsor) please delete previous as I don’t want to be taking the wind from someone else’s sails

By: invig

invig — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 07:26:40 +0000

Regarding this centrist stuff, I think that there is an opportunity to start a new party up directly after the next election, but before the senate election (or double dissolution).

I think it could absorb the best people from Labor, Liberal as well as the Greens and Democrats while also taking advantage of bloggers who have shown themselves capable. Sites like GetUp and New Matilda could provide funding.

Regarding the latter, the conference in Brisbane should provide a timely opportunity to form a network to promote the idea. To this end, I would encourage anyone who thinks they might like to be involved to attend…

By: Caroline

Caroline — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 05:09:38 +0000

Yes. Thank-you Michael.

By: Nicholas Gruen

Nicholas Gruen — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 23:25:50 +0000

Thanks Michael,

Do you have a url to the study?

By: Michael

Michael — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 22:18:24 +0000

The hypothesis regarding bed nets and malaria is interesting, but doesn’t seem borne out by experience.

At the end of trials in Kenya looking at just this question, free distribution of bed nets saved more children’s lives than selling them.

I’m all in favour of solutions that aren’t constrained by orthodoxy, but is Jacquleine perhaps guilty of that which she claims to avoid? Maybe the best method of distributing mozzie nets is that which saves the most lives rather than satisfies notions of avoiding the “moral hazard” of encouraging the ungrateful poor.

By: Colin Campbell

Colin Campbell — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 12:05:35 +0000

Having been in a few countries with really awful examples of western generosity in the funding of projects. Leaving aside emergency aid and civil works to deal with climatic disasters, the projects I saw mainly enriched country linked contractors. Very few projects were sustainable and the long term maintenance planning was non existent. Some of the best examples were the Japanese, who actually spent a bundle facilitating construction projects for their companies. At least these projects were generally built. Looking after them when the constructors were gone was not a high priority.

The principal of ownership is the first step to a long term commitment from a community to maintain projects. The type of investments that you highlight in this article have a much better chance of sustaining.

By: ashleigh

ashleigh — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 11:54:42 +0000

Hooray!

more common sense and less hand outs please!!