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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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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...

Armenia Gets $235 Million

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) decided to give Armenia more than $230 million over the next 5 years. But the money comes with a set of conditions. Addressing reports of irregularities in the referendum on reforms to the Armenian constitution held in November, Ambassador Danilovich contin...

Solutions to Bad Governance

Jeffrey Sachs talks about good governance in this op-ed that appeared in The Korea Herald. Elections, he argues, although important, are not enough to limit the abuse of power and hold governments accountable for their actions – a host of other mechanisms need to be put in place to improve gov...

Markets and Predictability

Free markets work, was the message relayed by Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan recently. "On average, world standards of living are rising in large part because of the widening embrace of competitive free markets, especially by populous and growing China and India," he said. and Open an...

NGO Bill Passed in Russia

The bill which establishes tighter control over NGOs operating in Russia was passed today with an overwhelming majority (357-20-7) in the State Duma just before it left for the winter break. Before the law comes into force, it still has to be approved by the Federal Council and signed by the Preside...

Notes from the Field: Uzbekistan (Part 1 of 3)

Driving around Tashkent, it is remarkable how slowly business has been developing. I arrived on the Constitution Day holiday, yet the commercial district was virtually deserted, unlike the main boulevards on holidays in Baku, Tbilisi, Chisinau, or Almaty. The bazaar was the exception, where people c...

Corruption or Death?

Recent economic liberalization and expansion has brought China face to face with a new issue that threatens to undermine much of the progress made over the last five years – corruption. In November, the Los Angeles Times reported on the estimated one million illegal land seizures that took place i...

Rights vs. Reality in Uzbekistan

The Uzbek Constitution and its law "On Education" grant everyone the right to seek higher education. Educational establishments, according to the Law, can be public or private, provided that the organization is licensed. It is a surprisingly liberal policy for a government that has become increasing...

Latest on WTO Talks

The Economist takes a critical look at the recent WTO meeting in Hong Kong. The meeting's most notable accomplishment was that it did not collapse as previous gatherings had in Seattle, in 1999, and Cancún, in 2003. The main new achievement was to agree on a date, the end of 2013, for the elimina...
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