Weigh in at http://globalfoodforthought.typepad.com/

I’m also keen on studying for an MSc DE and wanted to know if the programme allows those without an Economics Undergrad degree?

While Collier does not specify specific the “Asian” countries in his paper, one can assume he is referring to the Asian Tigers (Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan) that have rapidly industrialized and transformed themselves since the 1960s. Even countries such as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, which are indeed quite poor, have had substantial growth in GDP of 5-7% per annum based on labor-intensive textile exports (although in the current crisis, this is negatively impacted). Collier compares this to Africa, which he says has only .1% population-adjusted GDP growth per annum.

Basically, to make a long story short, it seems that all the statistics show that the most extreme poverty in the world is in Africa. Of course, there is poverty everywhere (even in my neighborhood in London), and likewise in Africa there are many well-off people and places. But the worst cases of starvation, infant mortality, poverty, and non-existent growth always emerge in Sub-Saharan Africa. One of the biggest questions development specialists are tackling today is: Why?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Development_Index

i don’t find Asia to be the giant Collier suggests. Whereas india, china, taiwan and the lot do account for a formidable growth, asia is also made up of countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or Kazakhstan.

Similarly, Africa also includes success stories like South Africa, Algeria and Nigeria.

And although better than africa, South and Central America, with only two landlocked countries, do not fare especially well in development indexes.

i am curious to read more about his reasoning, though.

One, the corruption of and impact of MNCs in Africa. That would have stop as well. Try telling the international community that, along with giving up aid, they must now also stop raping Africa of its resources?

Second, the bi-lateral nature of donor aid, i.e. it is a deal between. governments. I would argue that civil society in Africa should continue to receive aid, but all aid to governments should stop.

But my first point is MUCH more important. Without aid, there will be a vacuum that the amoral private sector would quickly fill, with even worse consequences.

And that has always been my problem with the perspective ideology of the west: they never get at the core issues but rather navigate around the perimeter.

In other words, Moyo is clever, no doubt, but she is also narrow minded. But, after all, she is a trained economist.

This is the stuff that many media in the West love to publish: Dead Aid, the book by Zambian academic Dambisa Moyo, advocates a stop of all development finances to Africa. The German monthly magazine Cicero for instance, in its July edition, exercises itself in prose dedicated to the beautiful, young exotic coming from the dark, wild continent in a heroic mission.

Read more here:
http://rubeneberlein.wordpress.com/2009/06/23/dambisa-moyo-dead-aid-cicero/

So all the causes fight fiercely for a share of spotlight, which is tough and causes most of them to exacerbate the tragedies or wonders of the causes they hold.

Think of any major breaking news that has touched the world and consider how many of us are worrying about it now. Sri Lanka, East Timor, illegal immigrants dying off the coast of the Canary islands, Sichuan earthquake.

It’s perhaps not surprising that even the initiatives with the best of intentions fall into demagogy to try and promote their causes.