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Tag Archives: International Development

Changing the function of ARIA is the wrong way to protest development aid


UPDATE: I have now written to the Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab: “In the meantime however, I would ask you to please examine again whether these cuts to aid spending could be done more sympathetically with respect to those most in need.” 3 June 2021: In order to protest cuts to Overseas Development Aid (ODA) taking spending below the legally-required 0.7% of GDP, rebels have tabled an amendment to the Advanced Research and Invention Agency Bill. This is the text of […]

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A common market with the world, not a failing common government with Europe


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International free trade is vital for any modern economy. The EU is in charge of our international trade: within the EU, the UK is unable to agree its own trade deals. Today, we trade more with countries outside the EU (56 percent) than within (44 percent).  The UK has a trade surplus of £31 billion with non-EU countries per year, but a deficit of £67.8 billion with the EU. See the relevant Commons Library brief for more. In some cases, we do more trade with countries without a trade deal than […]

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Book review: A Brief History of Liberty, Schmidtz and Brennan


A Brief History of Liberty by David Schmidtz and Jason Brennan “provides a comprehensive, philosophically–informed portrait of the elusive nature of one of our most cherished ideals”. Each chapter begins with a thesis, comprises a lively, engaging and well-referenced discussion and concludes with questions to consider and comprehensive notes. The theses are as follows: Introduction, Conceptions of Freedom. “Thesis: There are several forms of liberty. Whether they are conflicting or complementary is a matter of historical circumstance.” Chapter 1, A […]

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How conscientious consumers can combat global poverty with a cup of coffee


Via LearnLiberty: See also Fair Trade Without the Froth: When it comes to the purchase of everyday goods such as coffee, tea and sugar, most consumers believe that sellers of Fair Trade products occupy the high moral ground. Despite its strong statements, however, the claims of the Fair Trade movement have not been tested properly. This important study, whilst not doubting the position that Fair Trade is part and parcel of a market economy, does question the claims made by […]

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The UK’s commitment on clean water for the world’s poorest


The UK Government announced at the landmark Sanitation and Water for All meeting in Washington DC that they are doubling the UK’s commitment on clean water and sanitation, made last year. The meeting indicated that 167 children die every hour from diarrhoea, the vast majority of which is due to a lack of access to safe water and sanitation: that is a scandalous tragedy in the 21st century. Over the lifetime of this Parliament, British taxpayers will support more than […]

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DFID – Global Poverty Action Fund


The Government’s aid policy is controversial but those local charities and charitable institutions who seek to help those in need overseas may wish to take advantage of DFID’s  Global Poverty Action Fund: The Global Poverty Action Fund (GPAF) was launched on 27 October 2010. It is a demand-led fund supporting projects focused on poverty reduction and pursuit of the MDGs through tangible changes to poor people’s lives including through: service delivery, empowerment and accountability and work on conflict, security and […]

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The Commonwealth: No longer a club of the past


NB: this post is by Tim Hewish, my Parliamentary Researcher. Both on the Left and the Right, there is a growing case for Britain to reassess her position in the world. One only needs to look at The Economist’s posters at tube stations and the recent Henry Jackson Society’s report: The Tipping Point: British National Strategy and the UK’s Future World Role. So the question needs to be asked: Where do we turn for investments, foreign policy objectives, and more […]

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Capitalism is untouchable for human development


The plight of the Dalits, those whom the Hindu caste system considers outcastes and hence Untouchables, was a rallying cry of Hindu reformers and Indian leftists for half a century. But today these victims of the caste system are finding that free markets and development bring advancement faster than government programs. via B. Chandrasekaran: The Untouchable Case for Indian Capitalism – WSJ.com, which I thoroughly recommend.

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On capital, international development and raising the poor out of poverty


Via The Economic Role of Saving and Capital Goods – Mises Institute (emphasis mine): What distinguishes contemporary life in the countries of Western civilization from conditions as they prevailed in earlier ages – and still exist for the greater number of those living today – is not the changes in the supply of labor and the skill of the workers and not the familiarity with the exploits of pure science and their utilization by the applied sciences, by technology. It is […]

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