Saturday, February 16, 2013

GLOBAL IDEAS NEWS BRIEF: TAXING TELCOS + AFFORDABLE INSURANCE

Financial inclusion

Can affordable insurance underwrite social development for the world's poor?
The Guardian
MicroEnsure serves over four million people around the world with insurance, 80% of whom have never before been insured.

Charging the mobile
The Economist
East African governments are targeting telecoms firms. Are they being unfairly targeted as a proxy for taxing the informal economy?

Latest on Branchless Banking from Indonesia
CGAP blog, by Leesa Shrader
In terms of financial inclusion, Indonesia is renowned for its large scale microfinance sector, led by BRI, a range of commercial banks and over 60,000 MFIs reaching more than 50 million people. Despite this progress, the 2011 Global Financial Inclusion Index still finds only 19.6% of the population have formal accounts.

Economic development

The Slowing of Two Economic Giants
NYT
THE world’s two most populous countries are slowing down. The West can no longer count on their continued expansion to lift its sagging economies. For 2.5 billion people, the consequences are more dire: in India, less money to strengthen the threadbare social safety net, and in China, possible political instability. What does the slowdown mean for these two giants, and which will come out ahead?

Can Africapitalism save the continent?
The Guardian
Tony Elumelu believes business can solve Africa's problems. But can you really make money and do good at the same time?

Social enterprise

A Social Entrepreneur’s Quandary: Nonprofit or For-Profit?
NYT
How do small organizations determine whether it’s in their best interest—and the interest of their clients or beneficiaries—to be structured as a non-profit or for-profit?

How to make investment more attractive for VCs in emerging markets
Wamda
How do we avoid stalemate scenarios and invigorate the startup ecosystem with capital injection? Here's what it may take for more investors to come to the table.

Does Waze Mark the Beginning of the End of Israel's Brain Drain?
The Atlantic
The country's entrepreneurs are torn between opportunities abroad and at home.

Politics

The Economic Blunders Behind the Arab Revolutions
Wall Street Journal, opinion
In Egypt and Syria, misguided food and water policies set the stage for revolt and civil war.

Even Good Coups Are Bad: Lessons for Egypt from the Philippines, Venezuela, and Beyond
Foreign Affairs
Recent events in Egypt are by no means unique. In fact, they fit rather perfectly into the tradition of civil society coups, which are common in new democracies. Unfortunately for Egypt, such coups seldom, if ever, end well.

The Arab Awakening: Has it failed?
The Economist
Despite the chaos, the blood and the democratic setbacks, this is a long process. Do not give up hope.

Agriculture

In Colombia, an Alleged American Land Grab Sets Off a Political Storm
TIME
Was it a good-faith investment by a U.S. multinational in Colombia? Or a flagrant land grab? That’s what Colombians are debating following revelations that the Minneapolis-based food giant Cargill Inc. acquired nearly 130,000 acres of former government land that had been donated to peasant farmers.

Quinoa should be taking over the world. This is why it isn’t.
Washington Post
Quinoa exports have brought cash raining down on the dry land, which farmers have converted into new clothes, richer diets, and shiny vehicles. But at the moment, the Andeans aren’t supplying enough of the ancient grain for wealthy American tatsebuds, and global agribusiness has a big hand to play.

Aid

India undergoing silent rights revolution as laws guarantee social services
Washington Post
Critics say that many of the new rights are simply a euphemism for expensive handouts meant to please voters. Others say that if bureaucratic attitudes and efficiency are not improved, the rights are mere window dressing on a broken social-services system.

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