INSEAD recently hosted a conference in Paris on the future of the healthcare industry. They had a number of interesting speakers, including Harpal Singh of Fortis Healthcare. Fortis is a leading provider of hospitals in India, and currently the fastest growing. Their investor presentation provides a look into the future of the business of healthcare […]
Several UK aid workers/activitsts have had their ship, part of the Road to Hope effort to deliver aid to Gaza, “seized” by Greek Commandos. While the aid workers remain in questionably safe surroundings (they have access to a couch and water, but “not drinking” water), it’s worth pointing out several interesting aspects of this hijacking: 1) […]
The winner of the recycled-vuvuzela competition in South Africa has been announced: earrings! I actually think they look quite nice.
What does the status of women have to do with health outcomes? Karen Grepin posted an interesting set of statistics a few days ago in her article, Men are Dogs. Aren’t they? Most people intuitively believe that serodiscordancy (when one partner in a steady relationship is HIV-positive and the other is not) is a result of the […]
I recently finished this book (and stole the photo from Amazon!), which was…interesting. Here’s the blurb from Publisher’s Weekly: Ah, to be young, Western and ambitious in a war zone. It’s the early 1990s, and Cain and Postlewait are two American U.N. employees sent to Cambodia to help the country rebuild itself after two decades […]
This past Tuesday marked the annual release of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), Transparency International’s opportunity to name and shame all over the world. This year, as in most years, there were few surprises: the index is actually designed to favor stability over dramatic changes in order not to unduly punish countries that experience an […]
Today, read this: a most fantastic discussion about the Kristof “Do-It-Yourself” Foreign aid op-ed that came out recently. Do you agree with the criticisms raised in this piece? Or are you solidly on Team Kristof?
I recently finished reading The Spirit Level, a book which presents statistical evidence that more equal societies nearly always do better in every measure of social cohesion and human well-being. Check out this table on infant mortality. The vertical axis represents the level of infant mortality in developed countries; the horizontal axis represents levels of […]
This weekend’s New York Times Magazine features an article by Nick Kristof on the “new” phenomenon of “do-it-yourself” foreign aid work. The idea of young, idealistic Westerners leaving behind a life of privilege to try to fix the many problems of the developing world isn’t a new one: it’s what drove the Peace Corps revolution […]
Yesterday I went to CSIS downtown to hear Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson talk about the Administration’s “Dual-Track” approach to Somalia. The speech was good, but I didn’t hear anything that sounded particulary new when it came to foreign policy. The introduction was along the lines of, “no one has an […]
A quick post to highlight an event coming up in New York from the FPA: Infectious Diseases and Global Health: Challenges and Priorities The Foreign Policy Association cordially invites you to attend the inaugural Dame Jillian Sackler Distinguished Lecture with Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who will […]
Today, the New York Times launched an excellent series called Fixes, co-written by veteran storyteller of social entrepreneurs, David Bornstein. (A thank you to my colleague, Carey, for referring me here.) The inaugural article highlights the use of motorcycles by healthcare workers to reach people in rural areas, a significant challenge in some of the […]
So, apparently there was a contest in South Africa to decide what to do with old vuvuzelas following the World Cup this summer. Possible ideas include hearing aids (because now you’re deaf), lampshades, and 200 other ideas, all competing for a 10,000 Rand prize. My mother uses hers to keep deer out of the garden.
Interesting news of the day: Prime Minister Zenawi doesn’t believe the world is taking a tough enough stance on global warming, and his remarks anger other African heads of state (though personally I agree with him) The top 400 charities in the U.S. see billions less in donations Senegal offers free education to children from […]