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Unaccountable aid good for donors, bad for the poor
9 Nov 2010 - 12:35pm

President Obama says “mutual accountability” will now underpin America’s foreign aid. He called on rich donor nations at the recent Millennium Development Goals (MDG) summit to “commit to the same transparency that we expect of others.”

Pakistan: A flood of restrictions
22 Sep 2010 - 2:27pm

Pakistan’s horrific floods have been compounded by horrific mismanagement and then by regulations that make it harder to save the victims and start reconstruction. The solution is more freedom, not more restrictions, says this widely-experienced Pakistani economist and consultant – citing practical precedents.

The Unseen Costs of "Green" Investments and Initiatives
31 Aug 2010 - 3:19pm

On August 19, Nick Clegg discussed the government's planned "Green Deal", announcing the launch of a low carbon business support programme which the Government hopes will lead to the creation of 10,000 new jobs and 1,000 firms. Maybe it will – but how many jobs will be lost, or not created? And what will all these “green” jobs cost our children?

Economic Freedom the Key to Surviving Catastrophe
31 Aug 2010 - 3:11pm

Millions are suffering and thousands have died from flooding in Pakistan and China.

An extraordinary heatwave in Russia sparked fires, causing dreadful pollution and wiping out swaths of the wheat crop.

Are these weather-related disasters caused by global warming? Do they portend worse catastrophes? What can be done? Should Pakistan get more aid?

How to Worsen Africa's Health Crisis
31 Aug 2010 - 3:04pm

Killing off drug patents will kill off innovation and patients.

What do AIDS activists want more money for?
3 Aug 2010 - 4:20pm

UNAIDS has inflated its HIV/AIDS figures for years and now claims the natural decline of AIDS as a victory (it started before UNAIDS was set up): Bill Clinton at the international AIDS conference in Vienna attacked the waste of money but this analyst says UNAIDS should just be shut down. In fact, AIDS is not even the top killer in Africa, let alone anywhere else.

Wrong Tax, Wrong Disease
3 Aug 2010 - 4:10pm

Officials and activists (and a slightly equivocal Bill Clinton) at the recent world AIDS conference in Vienna want a "Robin Hood" tax on financial transactions to fund HIV/AIDS relief. This well-published analyst explains why this is a bad and counter-productive idea.

Africa should ignore Gordon Brown’s call
30 Jul 2010 - 12:18pm

Opening up markets to competition will improve Africans' access to life-changing communications technology (whereas Western aid propping up telecommunications monopolies will not).

Mosquito nets can't cure malaria
8 Jul 2010 - 1:47pm

I wish Cheryl Cole a speedy recovery, and hope she'll consider using her fame to support truly effective ways of tackling malaria.

China pushing water uphill
5 Jul 2010 - 6:36pm

China has a water crisis, ranging from flood to regular drought, but the Three Gorges Dam did not prevent the current murderous floods and an even bigger project will not guarantee fresh water to the dry north: China needs a dose of Chile.