stillhaventfound.org

International Development:

1) William Easterly debates the British Secretary of State for International Development Hilary Benn on the effectiveness of foreign aid.

2) Jeffrey Sachs argues that the Scandinavian social welfare states with high taxes and strong social safety nets trump the English-style market economics. Stationary Bandit isn’t so sure. Tyler Cowen of Marginal Revolution comments here.

3) More reviews of Joseph Stiglitiz’s Making Globalization Work from Financial Times, Guardian, The Independent, Open Democracy and Telegraph (which also reviews Easterly’s The White Man’s Burden).

4) A good and simple overview of the Climate Change by The Economist. The Scientific American Magazine’s September 2006 issue is dedicated to alternative technology. Its introductory article can be viewed online.

Politics & Economics:

5) Very interesting article on conversations between Left and Right.

6) Geoffrey R. Stone defines what it means to be a liberal. Responses here and here by TCS Daily.

7) How Scandanavia’s neoliberal parties came to love the welfare state.

Progressive Christianity:

8) Foreign Affairs on US evangelicals and foreign policy.

9) Are evangelicals broadening their moral agenda - moving from their twin concerns of abortion and homosexuality to include international issues like poverty, the environment and war?

Others:

10) The 10 most brilliant people in the world.

International Development:

1) Most of us would already have heard that the Noble Peace Prize for 2006 went to Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank, pioneers of microcredit. Here’s a good article on the impact of microcredit. While not questioning the goodness of Yunus and the Grameen Bank, The Economist - like many others - are questioning whether anti-poverty equals peace? Peter Klein of the Organizations and Markets blog is skeptical in a different way - see here and here. Walden Bello sees macro policies, rather than microcredit, as the key to development. Meanwhile, an old article by Thomas Dichter argues that microcredit has done more harm than good.

2) Atanu Dey has some good insights on India’s recent ban on child labor. I’ve never been a big fan of the banning of child labor and here he gives some good explanations why he isn’t either.

3) Daniel Altman’s Managing Globalization blog has a lengthy Q & A session with Joseph Stiglitz.

Politics & Economics:

4) Cato Unbound has a series of articles on Should Libertarians Vote Democrat? Meanwhile, Arnold Kling from TCS Daily writes about his journey From Far Left to Libertarian.

5) Edmund Phelps, recently awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics, writes about dynamic capitalism and entrepreneurship being just.

Progressive Christianity:

6) Calvin Theological Seminary (CTS) and Western Theological Seminary sponsored a debate between Libertarian Catholic Robert Sirico and Progressive Christian Ronald Sider on the topic, “Wealth and Poverty in Light of the Gospel: How Can Christians Work Together if We Disagree?” (Video, Audio). Kerux, CTS’s student newsletter, has a review here. Kruse Kronicle responds to Kerux’s review here.

7) Jim Wallis & friends’ excellent new blog God’s Politics has a great interview (part one & two) of Moby sharing honestly about his view of Christianity, life as complicated and simple living. This is the kind of Christianity I’m attracted to!

Others:

8) A beautiful and inspiring video about Team Hoyt.

9) For Singaporeans who missed this and for foreigners who want to watch a bit of Singaporean humor, here’s Hossan Leong on the Mr Brown Show.

10) Ahh, check this out girls: slimmer photos with HP digital cameras!

International Development:

1) Derek Newberry of NextBillion.net believes microcredit is better than fairtrade:

While I personally believe we should continue lobbying large multi-nationals to employ strong labor practices, it is much easier to go straight to the source- empowering producers at the BOP with a good reason to provide a livelihood for themselves rather than spending those resources attempting to monitor large companies that may have strong incentives to bend the rules.

…Given limited resources, I would be more inclined to take the same route as the Gates Foundation, spending resources on assisting those with the most incentive to take care of the well-being of BOP employees - the BOP themselves. Giving self-sustaining support to very small businesses may not have the same immediate impact as lobbying Starbucks to buy fair-trade, but at least you’ll have to spend much less making sure those Pro Mujer entrepreneurs are actually taking care of themselves.

I’m not sure his portrayal of the fairtrade system is totally accurate. However, he does bring up an important point: microcredit provides great incentives for the poor themselves to do well whereas fairtrade is more driven by consumers and consumer power. I also think the fairtrade system is a more complicated (with certifications, monitoring, etc.) and costly method as compared to microcredit schemes. See also Derek’s other post.

2) Christine Bowers of the World Bank PSD Blog comments on Prahalad’s talk at the World Bank, interpreting some stuff he said as a criticism of William Easterly’s localized, small-scaled, “searcher” approach to development. Here’s what Prahalad said:

You cannot solve the problem [of poverty] with highly localized, small-scale experiments. If you can’t touch the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, it doesn’t matter.

3) Owen Barder shares his goals as a manager in the Department for International Development (DfID) in the UK.

Politics & Economics:

4) Inspired by The Euston Manifesto, New American Liberalism was founded to develop a new vision of American liberalism. Reports by United Press International, New York Sun and The Boston Globe.

5) We saved the Europeans in Kosovo. Why not the Africans in Darfur?

Progressive Christianity:

6) Ben Witherington on the Amish, pacifism and forgiveness. A Mennonite pastor writes about the Amish’s powerful weapons of mass forgiveness. Fact: the Nickel Mine School Victims Fund, a fund set up for the families of the victims, will benefit the family of the murderer too - at the request of the Amish. Fact: the family of the slain victims invited the wife of the murderer to attend the private funerals of the victims. Fact: the grandfather of one of the victims said this of the murderer,

We must not think evil of this man.

Reading about the grace and forgiveness extended by the Amish to the murderer and his family has astounded so many people. What a wonderful testimony of true biblical Christianity!

7) A history of evangelicalism.

8) I like this: A Christian Manifesto for People Who Aren’t Great Theologians.

Others:

9) Recess for kids fosters creativity, social skills, conflict resolution skills, negotiation skills and even leadership.

10) Imagine This: George Bush for peace!

From this (1 Chronicles 29:11, 14) we learn, 1) Despite how much you worked for your wealth–everything you have is a gift from God. Even if you have worked hard for what you have, it was only with health, talent, abilities and “luck” (favorable circumstances) God gave you that you were able to achieve what you did. If it was not for God, you could have been born on a mountain in Mongolia in the 11th century—and then where would you be financially? 2) Secondly, God does not give up ownership of his creation when it leaves his hand and comes into yours. The more money you have, the more power you have to arrange and influence what happens in your piece of the world. However, though God gives you power over certain pieces of the world, he does not give you ownership of that piece! Bill Gates has power over more of the world than you do, and you have more power than many others, but none of us own any of it. 3) That leads to a stark conclusion: a lack of generosity is not just stinginess, but robbery. Matthew 25, the parable of the talents, very specifically says that we are to invest the money God gives us into God’s causes and seek to multiply its effectiveness in the lives of others. In this way, we are like investment managers–we are not to use our ‘client’s’ money in a way that violates his values and purposes. A failure to use the owner’s money as he wishes, for his investments, is not being miserly, it is being a thief.

…The Bible talks about money 20 or 30 times more than it talks about sex. Why? Because money’s spiritual power blinds us to itself. When people are committing adultery, they know they are doing it. But hardly anyone who loves money too much knows they do. People are always confessing sexual sins, but almost no one thinks ‘I’m materialistic’ or ‘I’m greedy.’ If A) the Bible continually warns us about the danger of materialism, yet B) almost no one thinks they are guilty of it, then C) it means a great number of people are blinded to (and by!) the power of money in their lives. The only responsible thing to do is go on the working hypothesis that we are infected by materialism and must be on the watch for it. If materialism is this insidious and stupefying, it is a lot like alcoholism. Maybe the best sign of materialism is this - you aren’t willing to even admit the possibility that you are enslaved to greed.

The only way we can be free from the power of money, and to be sure we are free (and not self-deluded), is to give money away so much that we lower our living standards. We must know that we live in smaller or less opulent surroundings, that we take simpler vacations, that we spend less money on clothes, etc, than we otherwise would.

(Tim Keller, Money and Christian Worldview)

International Development:

1) Can Aid Work? Nicholas Kristof reviews some important development books that touch on this issue. The Globalisation Institute chips in with its view on the new agenda for aid effectiveness. Owen Barder gives his input. Also, an old but good article of his on what sort of conditions there should be on aid. Lastly, the BBC News view here.

2) The Financial Times writes about abuses in the Fairtrade system. The Fairtrade Foundation responds with a press statement and a briefing.

3) Check out the film Black Gold - about the 80 billion dollar global coffee industry and how coffee farmers get an unfair price.

4) When ecotourism doesn’t really work. Also: ideas on how to be an eco-savvy traveler.

Politics & Economics:

5) Why the laws of economics don’t work well with oil.

6) The New Yorker on what neuroeconomics tells us about money and the brain. More on neuroeconomics here, here and here.

Progressive Christianity:

7) Time magazine asks, “Does God Want You To Be Rich?”. Evangelical theologian Ben Witherington gives his input here.

Others:

8) Ethan Zuckerman shares how one can blog anonymously.

9) The story (YouTube, article) about Juan Mann and his free hugs campaign in Sydney, Australia.

10) How to sell sympathy.

In America, a sharp-looking businessman stands up at a luncheon to give his testimony: “Before I knew Christ, I had nothing. My business was in bankruptcy, my health was ruined, I’d lost the respect of the community, and I’d almost lost my family. Then I accepted Christ. He took me out of bankruptcy and now my business has tripled its profits. My blood pressure has dropped to normal and I feel better than I’ve felt in years. Best of all, my wife and children have come back, and we’re a family again. God is good - praise the Lord!”

In China, a disheveled former university professor gives his testimony: “Before I met Christ, I had everything. I made a large salary, lived in a nice house, enjoyed good health, was highly respected for my credentials and profession, and had a good marriage and a beautiful son. Then I accepted Christ as my Savior and Lord. As a result, I lost my post at the university, lost my beautiful house and car, and spent five years in prison. Now I work for a subsistence wage at a factory. I live with pain in my neck, which was broken in prison. My wife rejected me because of my conversion. She took my son away and I haven’t seen him for ten years. But God is good, and I praise Him for His faithfulness.”

Both men are sincere Christians. One gives thanks beacause of what he’s gained. The other gives thanks in spite of what he’s lost.

Material blessings and restored families are defintely worth being thankful for. The brother in China would be grateful to have them again; indeed, he gives heartfelt thanks each day for the little he does have. And while the American brother is certainly right to give thanks, he and the rest of us must be careful to sort out how much of what he has experienced is part of the gospel and how much is not. For any gospel that is more true in America than in China is not the true gospel.

(Randy Alcorn, Money, Possessions and Eternity, p. 89-90)