SEATTLE — During the Global Economic Outlook panel at the 2017 World Economic Forum in Switzerland, a politician from the United Kingdom named Philip Hammond commented on the relationship between population growth and GDP growth in sub-Saharan Africa. “This is nowhere near enough growth to absorb the population growth… and unless we solve the problem then the pressure from sub-Saharan Africa will continue,” he said. This statement is an implication of rising income inequality in the region and relates to a theory of population growth formulated more than 200 years ago by Thomas R. Malthus: the Population Trap. Malthus was…
Author: Lucas Woodling
Lucas Woodling
Lucas lives in Lee’s Summit, MO. He has a BA in Political Science with a minor in International Studies. Lucas' interests include labor organization and empowerment and community-based economic cooperative enterprises. When not writing for The Borgen Project, Lucas writes, plays, and records atmospheric heavy metal, as well as mixing electronic dance music.
SEATTLE — Soft power can be defined as the use of economic or cultural incentives to influence international relations, as opposed to the more coercive approach that often involves military force. Speaking about Chinese soft power, many organizations are making fighting poverty a key part of their development goals. One of the most prominent international organizations in this field is the multilateral Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), which is financed by multiple countries to invest in global, regional and local projects. Jan. 16, 2017 was the one-year anniversary of AIIB. Seen as a part of a rising Chinese soft power presence,…
SEATTLE — The U.S. is officially out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but the next largest economy in the world isn’t closing its doors to increased foreign economic engagement. One Belt, One Road is a two-pronged plan China is pursuing to enhance trade opportunities. According to Kevin Sneader of McKinsey Publishing, this initiative is “the world’s largest platform for regional collaboration” and will include 65 percent of the world population, one-third of global GDP and a quarter of all goods and services. With an estimated annual investment of $3 trillion, the initiative is 12 times the size of the Marshall Plan, which…
SEATTLE — Farming is becoming an increasingly difficult venture due to the effects of climate change, from a steady increase in global temperatures to increased rainfall leading to flooding. Developing economies dependent upon agriculture for economic growth are particularly vulnerable to a changing global climate, but the practice of crop rotation can help slow the output of carbon dioxide and increase harvests. Crop rotation, or changing which crops grow on a plot of land each season, is a long-standing practice used around the world since ancient times. For example, if a farmer grows rice on plot “A” and cotton on…
SEATTLE — Established in 1971, the World Economic Forum is a nonprofit foundation which unites global leaders to foster public-private cooperation using the stakeholder theory. This theory holds that each group impacted by the actions of an entity are necessary for the success of that entity, not only the capital investors. The 2017 forum in Davos, Switzerland brought up several prominent issues, including globalization, protectionism, market reform, and automation. Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, shared his views on globalization. President Xi views globalization as following the “historical trends” of the world and urged the pursuit of…
EL QUICHE, Guatemala — Recent history for many Guatemalan coffee farmers has been devastating, with the outbreak of a deadly plant fungus that has destroyed crops and livelihoods. The Coffee Trust provides support and education for those living in the isolated Ixil region, where the coffee leaf fungus hit hard. This organization works with other local organizations to improve coffee farmers’ ability to weather future epidemics and diversify the local economy and crops. The Ixil is a historically persecuted indigenous group that has survived genocide from both Spanish conquistadors and a repressive state in the 20th century. The Guatemalan civil…
WASHINGTON — The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, is an HIV/AIDS relief program established in 2003 under President George W. Bush and an example of foreign aid done well. Judging by a questionnaire from the Trump transition team to the outgoing Obama State Department, this program is one piece of U.S. foreign policy which could undergo radical changes under the Trump administration. The questionnaire directly asks if PEPFAR is “becoming a massive, international entitlement program.” This skeptical view is unmatched by the President’s pick for Secretary of State, who sees PEPFAR as “extraordinarily successful.” While divergent views…
SEATTLE — Global coffee production in 2014 was around 8.5 million metric tons, with around 1.5 million tons imported by the U.S. In 2012, 40 percent of the coffee produced complied with a third-party standard, such as the ethically-focused Fair Trade. The Direct Trade model is another ethical coffee movement which eschews the need for third-party standards and uses the idea that a company can set its own standard for transparency and social responsibility while producing a superior cup of coffee. Here are five benefits to the Direct Trade model: Certification Independence: The Direct Trade model does not require certification…
SEATTLE, Washington — The inability to fully afford and use electricity is referred to as energy poverty, and it affects more than 1.2 billion people across the world. Corey Lien, the founder of nonprofit DOMI, sat down with The Borgen Project to talk about energy poverty in Taiwan and how it can be solved by helping people switch to renewable and efficient technology at an affordable cost. Taiwan, a small island nation off the south-eastern coast of China, is fortunate to have a poverty rate of only around 1.5 percent. According to Lien, there are three classes of poverty in Taiwan, with the…
SEATTLE, Washington — There is often no consensus on local versus foreign-led programs in the development community. It can be hard for charitable organizations and individuals to know whether it best to fund local organizations embedded at the grassroots level, or to fund organizations with outside expertise and technology to combat problems. One organization, called On the Ground, synthesizes the two approaches by bringing in external funding and advice and working alongside local organizations to combat the problems of global poverty. On the Ground (OTG) begins by working alongside pre-existing organizations in target communities. This enables it to better promote sustainable development by looking…