Economics in Action » War

The World’s silver lining

econ-network — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:57:15 +0000

The Economist is running a feature article on how the world is, gradually and unevenly, becoming more prosperous and peaceful. Yes, wars and genocides are happening right now. Yes, huge numbers live in extreme poverty and millions of children die each year from preventable disease. However, the figures brought together in this article show that, while those things are horrible, far fewer people are experiencing them than in previous decades. Public health, birth control, immigration and Middle East conflict are among the issues touched on.

Armies for Africa?

econ-network — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 12:24:44 +0000

How can we help the developing countries of Africa? This three-minute BBC radio interview (RealPlayer required) features an interesting take on the issue from Paul Collier, an Oxford Professor of Economics.

Collier points out that Africa has some fragile democracies which are at real risk of falling to a military coup or descending into civil war. The security that comes from stable government makes it more feasible to escape the cycle of poverty. Hence the rich European countries could help by supplying some of their military power, if backed with a legitimate authority.

Infographics

econ-network — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 13:21:14 +0000

The UK has the fourth cleanest water in the world, and the fourth highest per capita military spending. A coffee from Starbucks involves resources from up to nineteen different countries. These are some of the hundreds of facts presented in interesting visual summaries by the International Networks Archive. Topics include The Global Arms Trade, the Coming Water Wars and the global success of McDonald’s.