Humanosphere

On microfinance http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2013/05/microcredit Continue reading →

Haitians Receive Boxes of USAID Food Aid USAID Food aid reforms came under the spotlight last month when the Obama Administration announced its Fiscal Year 2014 budget. The changes are important to humanitarian response. Oxfam America estimates that reforms to food aid procurement laws could speed up crisis response by 14 weeks and reach an additional 17.1 … Continue reading →

I’m not sure I totally buy the claim that nearly all of these displacements are due to disasters driven by climate change, but it’s still an interesting map. As the Guardian reports: More than 32 million people fled their homes last year because of disasters such as floods, storms and earthquakes – 98% of displacement … Continue reading →

If all you do is look at the global health statistics for death and disability, it’s clear that men are doing worse than women. Yet women, and children, tend to get most of the focus and emphasis in global health policy. A recent Lancet paper pointed this out. But NPR quotes one of my favorite … Continue reading →

The so-called ‘war on drugs’ hasn’t worked, by almost any indicator. Some could make the case that the quasi-militaristic law enforcement strategy has actually made things worse by creating massive cycles of violence – not to mention rewarding cartels by, inadvertently, driving up prices. Source: Guardian European governments and the Obama administration are this weekend … Continue reading →

The US government has a long history of mixing up its missions overseas. Is food aid supposed to be about feeding the hungry or serving the interests of the American agribusiness? (Hint: The answer, so far, is yes … with an emphasis on the latter). Similarly, based partly on the idea of ‘winning hearts and … Continue reading →

This is a nice, reasoned rebuttal by to a recent NY Times column by a former aid worker in Haiti who complained about how unproductive her work there had been. The NYTtimes op-ed repeats a popular, and increasingly tired, refrain that tends to accompany the standard story line about how screwed up Haiti is thanks, … Continue reading →

Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, a favorite of many politicians and development champions in the West, has been on the defensive lately arguing against accusations that Rwanda has perpetuated a bloody conflict across the border in Congo and is constructing a de-facto one-party, authoritarian state. Source: Guardian Paul Kagame is angrier than I’ve ever seen him. … Continue reading →

Water under threat globally (VOA) – Scientists say a new geologic epoch has begun whereby humans are causing major damage to global water systems. They warn of a planetary transformation comparable to the retreat of the glaciers more than 11-thousand years ago. Iraq car bombs kill dozens (BBC) – At least 60 people have been … Continue reading →

Welcome to the Humanosphere podcast, our weekly look at the world of global health and development. Tom and I begin with a discussion on the headlines – from the UN asking us to eat more bugs to the refusal of most American retailers to sign a pact improving worker safety overseas. Our featured guest this week … Continue reading →

Kristof is, for many, the voice of the humanitarian movement. Not surprisingly, he gave a rousing, moving talk Thursday evening for the Seattle Biomed crowd in which he emphasized the stunning progress that has been made in global health over the past few decades. He also spoke on the danger posed for sustaining this success story due to public apathy and the mistaken sense that the fight against poverty is too overwhelming, a 'hopeless' task. Continue reading →

Eskinder Nega was arrested after raising questions about arrests under Ethiopia’s anti-terrorism legislation in September 2011. Now he serves an 18 year sentence thanks to the very law he questioned. “The Ethiopian government is treating calls for peaceful protest as a terrorist act and is outlawing the legitimate activity of journalists and opposition members,” said Amnesty International‘s … Continue reading →

Rosling is strikingly upfront about the limitations of data. Sometimes, the problem is that different countries measure things – like unemployment – in different ways, he says. In other cases, there are real uncertainties in the data that must be assessed: child mortality statistics are quite precise, whereas maternal mortality figures are not; global poverty measurements are infrequent and uncertain. Continue reading →

I’ve been waiting for someone to make this argument based on the numbers. I don’t expect it to be very popular or compelling. The long-standing emphasis on women and children’s needs in global health are based not so much on simple burden of disease numbers alone as on issues of equity. Source: Sciencedaily Men experience … Continue reading →

The Washington Post’s chief policy wonk blogger Ezra Klein has published his conversation with Bill Gates about global health. Most of the discussion is focused on exploring how the Gates Foundation attempts to use data and better metrics to improve the fight against diseases of poverty. Ezra Klein: Your Foundation is known for taking a … Continue reading →

A rebuttal to this week’s New Yorker article by Paul Bloom who contends empathy is worse than useless. Michael Zakaras, in HuffPo, notes: (E)mpathy is an often irrational emotional response that plays favorites, he says. It is thus a poor mechanism for solving real problems and making tough choices — whether distributing international aid or … Continue reading →

We reported weeks ago on a humorous campaign by UNICEF asking people to stop liking them on Facebook and just send money – “Like Us on Facebook and We’ll Vaccinate ZERO Children Against Polio.” Now here’s a report that says “FB likes” may be worse than useless. Source: Smithsonianmag Facebook allows people to connect around … Continue reading →

That’s what William MacAskill, an ethicist at Oxford, explores in this article for Quartz. MacAskill (who inexplicably notes his last name used to be Crouch) begins his critique by noting the lack of scientific evidence for homeopathy and then digs into where the money goes. Source: Quartz I normally hate to be critical of specific … Continue reading →

Another record for the Seattle Foundation’s annual one-day, online donation event. Source: Seattletimes Posted by Jimmy Lovaas The Seattle Foundation is calling its recent GiveBig fundraising drive an astonishing success, as well it should, having raised more than $11 million in 24-hours. The group said donations were up more than 50 percent from the previous … Continue reading →

U.N. says more than 1.5 million refugees have fled Syria  (CNN) – The number of Syrian civilians who have fled their country to escape the civil war has passed 1.5 million, the U.N. refugee agency said Friday. Wal-Mart Taps a Startup for a Window Into Bangladesh Factories  (Businessweek) – Walmart has refused to sign on … Continue reading →