Private aid and investment abroad

Latest Posts

Making subsidies history?

The worldwide Live 8 shows have come and gone, and are being hailed as perhaps the greatest collection of concerts ever. While moments like the introduction of Birhan Woldu or (to a lesser extent) the reunion of the estranged members of Pink Floyd certainly made for compelling television, only time will tell whether or not they will have a significant impact on Africa’s future. Continue Reading...

Too much TV dumbs down kids

Three separate studies published by the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine suggests that too much TV-watching can harm children’s ability to learn. The article says that in one study, involving nearly 400 northern California third-graders, those with TVs in their bedrooms scored about eight points lower on math and language arts tests than children without bedroom TVs. Continue Reading...

Sirico on kelo

Rev. Robert Sirico wrote a column in the Detroit News’ Faith and Policy series over the weekend on the Kelo v. New London decision handed down by the US Supreme Court. Continue Reading...

O’Connor steps down

Breaking news for the day: Sandra Day O’Connor has announced that she is retiring from the United States Supreme Court. Yesterday, Anthony Bradley asked what the President should look for in a Supreme Court Nominee. Continue Reading...

A quote of note from Archbishop Silvano Tomasi

The following is from Archbishop Tomasi’s address at the 93rd International Labor Conference in Geneva. (Click here for the full text of his remarks.) “It is the dignity of every human person that requires access to work in condition of personal security, health, fair remuneration, a safe environment. Continue Reading...

FBOs crucial in AIDS fight

From today’s Ecumenical News International: UN, NGOs told Faith-Based Organizations crucial in AIDS fight Geneva (ENI). Up to 40 per cent of health care in poor countries is delivered by private religious institutions according to the first systematic study of faith-based organizations and HIV/AIDS. Continue Reading...

Go and sin (tax) no more

Last year, when I was still a Legislative Assistant in the Michigan House of Representatives, I had a front-row seat for the debate over House Bill 5632, the legislation that raised cigarette taxes by 75 cents and placed Michigan at #2 on the list for highest cigarette taxes in the country. Continue Reading...

Watch your language

In reading Is the Market Moral? (Brookings Institution Press, 2003), I have come across a passage containing what I suspect is a common misconception about markets. “Unlike the market, which values people according to their resources and the productivity they bring to the market, Christian teachings on poverty ascribe value to a group that has no resources.” Continue Reading...