Social Issues
TRIPS and Healthcare: Rethinking the Debate
IPN Opinion article
In this paper, a group of experts from around the world contradict the claim that compulsory licensing of 'essential' medicines will benefit the world's poor. They point out that patents and other forms of intellectual property are an essential component in economic development. Interfering with intellectual property by compulsory licensing or price controls will undermine investments and cause more harm than good. They call instead for stronger protection of intellectual property globally.
Compulsory licensing no solution to health problems in poor countries, say experts from India, Argentina, Canada and South Africa.
IPN Press release
The Right to Good Ideas
IPN Opinion article
" Intellectual-property rights are not just for the rich world. Carefully constructed, they can help the poorest too."
Aids has no cure - remember?
IPN Opinion article
"It does seem paradoxical -- nay, tragic -- that the world may end up spending tens of billions of dollars annually to provide painful, only moderately successful treatment to prolong life, while not making millions of people healthy from curable diseases like malaria for only a few billion. In these days of emotional politics, perhaps the rich world will only spend money on diseases with which it has some familiarity..."
Aids has no cure - remember?
IPN Opinion article
It does seem paradoxical -- nay, tragic -- that the world may end up spending tens of billions of dollars annually to provide painful, only moderately successful treatment to prolong life, while not making millions of people healthy from curable diseases like malaria for only a few billion. In these days of emotional politics, perhaps the rich world will only spend money on diseases with which it has some familiarity.
The wealth of nations depends on how open they are to international trade
IPN Opinion article
Virginia Postrel elaborates on the benefits of trade: "By allowing nations, organizations and individuals to specialize in what they do best, trade makes more goods and services available to everyone, raising living standards for all. Open international trade has indirect advantages as well. By increasing competition, it spurs producers to find ways to reduce costs and, hence, prices to consumers -- again, increasing living standards. And it spreads knowledge and skill. People all over the world gain access to the best technologies and most productive business practices."
Vaccines key to a healthy Africa
IPN Opinion article
"To encourage the development of vaccines and other treatments for HIV, TB and malaria, governments must first signal that they will respect the rights of the patent holders. Second, they should offer tax breaks on investment in research and development. Third, charities and rich governments should offer prizes to the developers of vaccines and new drugs..."
Misguided Virtue: False Notions of Corporate Social Responsibility
IPN Opinion article
David Henderson examines the CSR doctrine, subjecting it to fundamental criticisms. He argues that, far from being harmless, the adoption of "corporate social responsibility" threatens prosperity in poor countries as well as wealthy ones. CSR is likely to reduce competition and economic freedom and to undermine the market economy.
[Downloadable PDF]
Free market best by test
IPN Opinion article
\"Antiglobalists insist anything big and market oriented is bad. But the major problem in the third world is the lack of capital, knowledge and technology. The most efficient way to transfer this is through foreign investments. Investors have transferred 1-trillion to the developing countries in the past decade more than all aid since the Second World War.\"
Ending patents not the cure
IPN Opinion article
\"The problem with the ending of patent protection, though, is that in the long term we all lose, especially those in developing countries. And that will be the outcome if the pharmaceutical companies fail in their attempt starting on March 5 in Pretoria High Court to overturn legislation that allows patent-breaking anti-AIDS drugs to be imported from India...\"
