Global Development

CIDA, NGOs and mining companies: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Wed, 09 May 2012 15:22:21 +0000

Pull Quote:

he devil is in the detail – how much funding will be absorbed in overhead? How much of Plan Canada and World Vision contributions are cash expenditures versus generous salaries for their own staff?

Is CIDA’s new partnership approach an effective development strategy to empower mining communities in impoverished countries, or an irresponsible use of public funds, masking serious social and environmental dislocations? What would the Japanese director Akira Kurasawa, director of the Japanese film classic “Rashomon” (different perspectives of the same rape and murder) make of CIDA’s public-private partnerships? Perhaps he should remake the “Good, the Bad, and the Ugly” – since all three elements are present.

Brazil as an Emerging Environmental Donor

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:38:51 +0000

Brazil has acquired a new role in the 2000s: offering assistance to other countries in their national development efforts. In the climate negotiations in Copenhagen in 2009, for example, former President Lula da Silva said that Brazil not only would shoulder its own costs of emissions reductions, but might even give resources to poorer countries to do so. This commentary examines Brazil's experience as an environmental donor, placing it in the context of its emerging donor profile, and arguing that implementation of the promises is still incipient.

Del caso Pinochet a la condena a Taylor (Article in Spanish)

Tue, 08 May 2012 13:18:17 +0000

La reciente condena en La Haya del ex presidente de Liberia, Charles Taylor, por parte del Tribunal Especial sobre Crímenes en Sierra Leona, aunque noticia de primera plana en la prensa mundial, se notó poco en Chile. Sin embargo, ella tiene un significado especial para nuestro país. Es la primera vez que un ex jefe de Estado es condenado por un tribunal internacional por crímenes de guerra y de lesa humanidad. La pena misma, a ser cumplida en una cárcel británica, se hará pública el 30 de mayo. El origen de este hecho jurídico no está desvinculado de Chile.

Will Higher Corporate Taxes Improve Education in Chile?

Tue, 08 May 2012 13:36:48 +0000

Q. Chilean President Sebastián Piñera on April 26 announced a tax plan to finance education reform that would increase corporate taxes from 18.5 percent to 20 percent. The new tax package would raise between $700 million and $1 billion, said Piñera on the same day that tens of thousands of students protested in Santiago. Student leaders have criticized the move as inadequate, while Finance Minister Felipe Larraín said it could negatively affect Chile's economy. Are lawmakers likely to approve the measure?

Time to update the Millennium Development Goals

Fri, 04 May 2012 13:09:39 +0000

Pull Quote:

We don’t want to repeat errors such as simplistically measuring inputs rather than outcomes, such as assessing education by school enrolment without consideration of quality.

If a fairy godmother were to wave a magic wand to satisfy our every wish, what would we ask for? An end to poverty, disease, violence and environmental degradation?

Carleton Takes Part in the Africa Initiative Graduate Research Program

Wed, 02 May 2012 12:56:33 +0000

Carleton will be participating in the Africa Initiative Graduate Research Program by welcoming Ms. Prisca Kamungi, a top doctoral student at the University of Witwatersrand's African Centre for Migration and Society, one of the world's leading scholarly centres on migration and refugees in Africa. Through short-term academic opportunities for cross-continent research, the Africa Initiative Graduate Research Program is supporting 10 Africa-based and 10 Canada-based graduate students with over $200,000 in funding to facilitate research on critical issues facing Africa.

Cut those shameless perks of international diplomacy

Tue, 01 May 2012 12:39:23 +0000

Pull Quote:

Isn’t there something fundamentally wrong with holding a conference on poor people in a five-star hotel in one of the most expensive cities in the world?

International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda’s decision to live lavishly in London while attending a conference meant to help children in developing countries points to a larger problem in the international system. Her opulent lifestyle in the British capital is minimal compared with a diplomatic culture that has become more lucrative for aid disbursers to roam around the world rather than stay in their offices to do what they’re paid to do.

Diplomatic perks can influence peace talk outcomes, new study concludes

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:19:39 +0000

An examination of two peace processes in Africa shows that luxurious perks for delegates can unintentionally derail peace talks, according to a new paper issued by the Africa Initiative and The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI).

A tale of two very different summits

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:59:45 +0000

Pull Quote:

The BRICS summit, dismissed by some as a mere talk-shop with no basis in common interests, is going from strength to strength. The Summit of the Americas, representing the largest gathering of market democracies, is on its last throes, and may not reconvene again.

Summit diplomacy has become the coin of the realm. More and more key global and regional issues are thrashed out among heads of state and government, skipping the intermediaries. Professional diplomats don't like summits. Yet, given the urgent tasks, the crowded international agenda, and the increased tempo of diplomacy, there isn't much choice: summits are here to stay.

Support for 20 Graduate Students Will Enrich Policy-relevant Research on Africa

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:36:49 +0000

Through short-term academic opportunities for cross-continent research, the Africa Initiative Graduate Research program is supporting 10 Africa-based and 10 Canada-based graduate students with over $200,000 in funding to facilitate research on critical issues facing Africa.