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Advocating For a Better Economic Environment for Refugees
Refugee youth in Kakuma Refugee camp embody the endurance of the human spirit. A study carried out by the International Financial Corporation (IFC) in 2018 took a unique look at Kakuma Refugee Camp a...
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Gazprom: Investors Wanted

Russian natural monopoly Gazprom is making the headlines again - but this time its not the Russia-Ukraine-EU oil "crisis."  This week, Gazprom opened its doors to foreign investors.  The result?  It now surpassed Wal-Mart and Procter and Gamble to become one of the world's 10 largest companies. ...

Tools to Fight Corruption

The U.N. Convention Against Corruption has now entered into force as a result of 38 countries ratifying the convention out of the 140 that have signed the treaty. The Convention, which was adopted by the U.N.'s General Assembly in October 2003 is built on four pillars of prevention and criminalizati...

Evolving Corporate Governance in China

Since the late 1980s, China's state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have been undergoing a gradual process of transformation and privatization known as gaizhi. The government has reduced its share in smaller SOEs to as little as 10%. It has also introduced new governance mechanisms for both privatized and ...

Demographics, Economic Growth, and China

The Economist has an interesting article on declining populations.  Clearly, there is a demographic problem (and I was really surprised by some of the numbers), The shrinkage of Russia and eastern Europe is familiar, though not perhaps the scale of it: Russia's population is expected to fall by 22...

On Microfinance in Africa…And Elsewhere

Many discussions on economic development today center on supporting the development of small and medium enterprises.  This is understandable, since small business constitutes a very significant share of economic activity in developed and successful transitioning economies.  “Think small...

Building a Private Sector-based Economy in Iraq

Just came across this brief update on USAID’s activities in Iraq.  My impression – they are addressing both short-term, immediate needs of the Iraqi community (water program, for example) and long-term institutional objectives (providing training to business leaders). “We are wor...

To Eradicate or Not to Eradicate? That is the Question.

There has been increased focus recently on the subject of the prevalence of opium production in Afghanistan and the commitment and effectiveness (or lack thereof) of efforts to combat it by both the Afghan government and coalition forces operating in that country.  Newsweek magazine recently publis...

Private Sector as a Political Force in the Gulf

Despite a ban on political parties in the Gulf region, in some countries, such as Kuwait and Bahrain, they are accepted and openly active, though legal restrictions force them to function as NGOs rather than political parties. For example, it is well known that the Association for National Democrati...

Some hope in the middle of chaos in Gaza?

Even the most cynical of observers might not have imagined the situation in Gaza could have deteriorated as quickly and as badly as it has.  After the initial euphoria over the removal of the settlements and the handing over of control to the Palestinian Authority (PA), we then had the (seemingly)...

Good News for Economic Freedom

During the past year economies around the world became more open - according to the newly released Index of Economic Freedom published by the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street Journal.  Who holds the number 1 spot? Hong Kong (again). "The countries with the most economic freedom also have h...

The Lebanese Transformation

The Washington Post has recently added a section to their sidebars on Lebanon and the changes that have occurred within the country since Syria's departure in March 2005.  The materials on that page paint a picture of a slow, gradual movement towards Lebanese freedom and economic development.  How...

Debt Free?

Argentina repaid its IMF debt today, digging into its Central Bank reserves to come up with the money.  A good review of news stories on this is available on the World Bank's website. There are conflicting opinions out there.  Some say this move is a signal that things are improving in Latin Amer...

Oil Revenues and Economic Growth

High oil prices (read high oil revenues) do not always mean economic growth.  Just look at the oil-rich Azerbaijan.  Some 40 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. Teachers in the country earn only about $50 per month. And while the impact of the oil money can be seen in Baku - w...

On Nation-Building

A new book on nation-building edited by Francis Fukuyama is coming out later this month.  This volume includes essays by Larry Diamond and Minxin Pei, among others.  A lot of work in post-conflict reconstruction concentrates on immediate physical rebuilding of countries (roads, buildings, etc.) ...

Notes from the Field: Uzbekistan (Part 3 of 3)

Part of the reason that small and medium enterprise is suffering so badly is the lack of clear channels of communication between businesspeople and the government. Uzbekistan's treatment of civil society groups makes it nearly impossible for NGOs and business associations to operate without official...

The Effect of Organized Business on Democracy

Ben Ross Schneider's book Business, Politics, and the State in Twentieth-Century Latin America (Cambridge University Press, 2004) explores the linkages between business associations and democracy. Business associations, as an important part of civil society, have the ability to influence "the qualit...

Combating Corruption: China’s Latest Initiative

It seems that executions of public officials for taking bribes in China are doing little to deter corruption there.  As corruption remains rampant, the country continues to search for ways to get it under control.  The latest initiative - a public website, where citizens can expose corrupt gove...

Notes from the Field: Uzbekistan (Part 2 of 3)

Reforms in Uzbekistan have largely failed to materialize, despite 4-5 presidential decrees on the economy. Part of the reason for this relates to coordination failures within government agencies related to the economy, and because laws seem to be implemented when convenient for the government and ot...

Critical Need for Civil Society-Building in Iraq

Yesterday’s New York Times contained an op-ed by Andrew Erdmann, former National Security Council advisor on Iraq under President George W. Bush and previously a senior advisor to Iraq’s Ministry for Higher Education, on the need for comprehensive institutional engagement with Iraq. Rega...

Economic Solutions to the Mideast Crisis

Today's WSJ features a front page story on the Mideast crisis and its economic underpinnings. The article talks about some of the economic impediments that people in Gaza and the West Bank face - mainly barriers to movement of goods and people - and the implications of these barriers. For example: A...
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