Aiming to alleviate global poverty, the World Bank has provided the financial backing for the construction and reconstruction of vital infrastructures, such as roads, dams and electrical grids, to war-torn and developing countries since 1944. In the fiscal year 2017, the World Bank granted $59 billion for projects in developing countries.
There are currently over 2,600 active projects worldwide ranging from financial risk management to roads and railways. Investments in infrastructure by the World Bank toward developing countries start in the billions of U.S. dollars. Here are the top five most expensive pledges for active projects in developing countries.
Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor—II (India)
Active investments in infrastructure by the World Bank in India include the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor. It is an expansion effort that increases the reach and efficiency of freight cargo transportation in India’s northern and eastern regions, from Ludhiana to Dankuni.
The Eastern Freight Corridor, a project originally approved in October 2011, is a series of three projects that aim to double Indian Railways’ carrying capacity. In April 2014, the World Bank approved a $1.1 billion pledge, with a total cost of $1.65 billion, for the second tier of the project. This phase is set to build a 393-km, double-track, electrified, freight-only railway with a 25-ton axle-load at 100km/h. This sector will span between Kanpur and Mughal Sarai.
Uttar Pradesh, the most populous Indian state, stands to benefit from increased access to employment, health and education for its citizens by the de-cluttering of roadways. Once completed in December 2019, the full stretch of railway will be 1,839 km and is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 55 percent.
IN Swachh Bharat Mission Support Operation (India)
In 2015, the World Bank agreed to fund $1.5 billion of a $2.2 billion sanitation project, the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Support Operation. The project focuses on the construction and promotion of using toilets in rural areas in India, in which 67 percent of Indians live.
The project is a part of a universal sanitation initiative that seeks to end the practice of open defecation by 2019. Ten percent of deaths in India are associated with poor sanitation. India also misses out on six percent of possible GDP due to insufficient sanitation. Further investments in infrastructure by the World Bank will provide $25 million to aid state training programs to encourage usage of toilets in rural areas.
PMGSY Rural Roads Project (India)
The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Rural Roads Project was established in 2010 when India’s National Rural Roads Development Agency and the World Bank agreed to a $1.5 billion deal. The project provides all-weather roads, servicing the states Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
The World Bank’s investment fully funds the PMGSY program for five years and covers civil works expenditures and furnishes a technical assistance program to assist agencies running it. PMGSY Rural completed work in April 2018 on a 7,000 km rural road, which is the longest road assembly in a year since PMGSY began in 2000.
This is the second of multiple investments in infrastructure by the World Bank as a part of the PMGSY project, the first being a $400 million loan in 2004. It connected 9,900 km of rural roads in Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The greater PMGSY project aims for 375,000 km of roads, linking 178,000 habitations and refurbishing 372,000 km of existing rural roads.
South-West Roads: Western Europe-Western China International Transit Corridor (Carec 1b & 6b) (Kazakhstan)
Investments in infrastructure by the World Bank in Kazakhstan look to improve road management and traffic safety. The South-West Roads Project was approved in 2009 when the World Bank agreed to fund $2.125 billion of the $2.50 billion total cost. The project includes constructing a 1,500-km road connecting China and Western Europe from the Aktobe and Kyzylorda district border to South Kazakhstan.
Road construction provides a local economic boost. The World Bank’s end of the deal employs 30,000 to 35,000 people. The cost of workers, subcontractors and materials boasts $1.6 million in spending power. Four thousand South Kazakhstan workers receive $600 a month, compared to the latest estimates that show the average Kazakhstan citizen earns $525 a month.
Eskom Investment Support Project (South Africa)
The largest, active investment in infrastructure by the World Bank is $3.75 billion, funding the Eskom Investment Support Project. Approved in April 2010, the total $10.75 billion project provides support for Eskom to enhance its energy supply and security.
Much of the funding was allocated for completion of the Medupi Power Station, the fourth-largest coal-fueled power plant. Stirring controversy, the plant is expected to add an annual 25 million metric tons of carbon emissions. Eskom is already reported to contribute to a 40 percent share of South Africa’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Eskom is South Africa’s state-owned primary electricity producer and Africa’s largest facility in electricity production. There is concern about Eskom as a monopoly producer of electricity and, accordingly, a call for more contributors in South Africa’s energy market. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa is currently pursuing a legal interdict from the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria in an effort to prevent Eskom from signing 27 renewable energy contracts.
As the World Bank continues to strive for its main objectives–decreasing the percentage of people living on less than $1.90 a day and spurring income growth for the bottom 40 percent–these projects, with such immense lending, are promising for the future of some of the world’s most economically vulnerable populations.
– Thomas Benjamin
Photo: Flickr
Five Positive Facts About Global Poverty
Five Positive Facts About Global Poverty
Positive changes are happening, but society must never forget that one person being hungry is already too many. Together, the world can continue to move the needle in the right direction: the end of global poverty.
– Naomi C. Kellogg
Photo: Flickr
Efforts to Expand Education for Syrian Refugees in Turkey
Of the school-aged Syrian refugees living in Turkey, 612,603 were enrolled in either Turkish public school or temporary education centers as of October 2017. The Turkish government plans to close temporary education centers by the end of 2018. Approximately 300,000 refugee children attending these centers will be transferred to public schools and will transition to a Turkish-language curriculum. Another 360,000 refugee students who are not currently enrolled will also be sent to public school.
The Current Situation
For the first time since the policy was announced, more refugee school-aged children are enrolled in the Turkish public school system, at 59 percent, than in temporary education centers, 41 percent. The Turkish government plans to close all temporary education centers by the end of the year.
Temporary education centers teach an accredited curriculum in Arabic. For the past seven years, these facilities have provided education for Syrian refugees in Turkey in their mother tongue. However, these centers have been criticized for fostering cultural and linguistic separation between refugees and natives.
What Must Still Be Done
To accommodate the influx of students, the Turkish government is building 150 new schools with donated funds. However, this new construction will not adequately incorporate matriculating refugees from temporary education centers and additional funding is still needed.
Currently, the Ministry of National Education is adjusting to the increased number of students attending public school by sending some Syrian children to imam-hatip schools. Imam-hatip schools teach religious texts alongside other curriculum.
Critics of the new policy worry that Syrian students will drop out of school rather than attend Turkish-language public schools. Cultural tensions between Turkish and Syrian students, aggravated by resource shortages in public schools, could create hostile learning environments for Syrian children.
Working Toward Education for Syrian Refugees in Turkey
To mitigate the risk, the Ministry of National Education has declared that kindergarten and primary school are compulsory for all Syrian children. The government plans to enroll refugee children in intensive Turkish language courses to help students adjust to a Turkish curriculum. Also, refugee children will be offered additional classes on Arabic language and culture to help Syrian students stay connected to their heritage.
Additionally, to encourage older refugee children to stay in school, an E.U. program offers subsidies to Syrian schoolchildren. Subsidies are awarded to students who attend 80 percent of their classes and payments differ based on age and gender. Female high school students are entitled to the largest subsidies.
The Ministry of National Education’s public education initiative shows a real commitment to creating inclusive education for Syrian refugees in Turkey. Despite cultural and language barriers, more Syrian refugee children than ever before are enrolled in schools in Turkey.
– Katherine Parks
Photo: Flickr
Understanding How the U.S. Benefits from Foreign Aid to Angola
Angola continues to see repercussions from decades of war in the region. Roughly two-thirds of Angola’s citizens live in poverty, and much of Angola’s infrastructure has been destroyed by civil conflicts, war and lack of maintenance. The civil unrest in the region is also exacerbated by Angola’s possession of large oil reserves and a strong military force, creating a strong incentive for power struggles and polarizing forces in the region.
The U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Angola include providing food and food security, promoting democratic practices, providing disaster relief, providing better and more widely available health care and fighting the spread of disease in Angola. As well as these humanitarian efforts, the United States supports Angola in its efforts to utilize its agricultural abilities and sell oil reserves on the open market.
U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Angola have been in place since 1989 when the United States began providing large-scale disaster relief and humanitarian aid in the form of consumable material goods. In 1992, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) began a relief and assistance program for Angola in the hopes that it would help prevent the region from falling back into the grips of civil conflict.
Unfortunately, the fighting did not stop and aid was suspended until 1995 when U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Angola resumed with millions being dispersed toward the rehabilitation of the agricultural sector and displaced children/orphans in the region. Much of the U.S. foreign aid dispersed during times of conflict in the area was provided in the form of material goods such as medical supplies and food, helping stabilize conditions and promote health and humanitarian causes.
Since the beginning of more peaceful times in Angola, U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Angola have provided over $1 billion in aid to programs directly helping the people of Angola. The year 2011 marked the 15-year anniversary of the full-time presence of USAID assistance programs in Angola, helping citizens rebuild and promote health standards in the country.
While aid dollars for humanitarian efforts have been successful in the region, it is important to remember that the primary U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Angola are to support leaders and governments that wish to take Angola down the road to a peaceful future. These aid dollars fund programs in Angola to increase credit access to citizens and governmental bodies, create fair and healthy economic conditions for trade and business expansion and create land registration systems to help prevent turf wars and property theft.
With the help of U.S. foreign aid dollars, Angola has made progress in installing leaders with a more peaceful vision for the future and a willingness to improve socioeconomic conditions for its citizens. The United States hopes to help Angola in its efforts to become the economic powerhouse it has the potential to be. With the help of programs like USAID, Angola has the potential to improve conditions not only for itself but the rest of Africa. With its agricultural and natural resources, Angola could prove itself to be one of Africa’s largest economic breadwinners.
– Dalton Westfall
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Mexican Government Protects Peyote for Native Rituals
Tourists in Mexico Are Putting Peyote At Risk
Since it is illegal in Mexico for anybody who is not part of the Wixárika tribe to harvest and use Peyote, many tour guides take people to places where the cactus grows to let them reap the crop without giving them any instructions on how to sustainably harvest the crop. Harvesting Lophophora Williamsii using unsustainable methods is the main reason why the plant is at risk of being over-harvested.
It takes Peyote over 30 years to grow. Removing it in a way that is not environmentally sustainable poses the risk of destroying the ability of the Wixárika to use the plant for decades.
Methods such as GPS tracking units, security guards and fences have been used to stop poachers from illegally harvesting Peyote. Illegally collecting Lophophora Williamsii carries a jail term of up to 25 years in prison but most police officers in Mexico tend to took the other way when tourists steal the plant.
Lophophora Williamsii in Wixárika Rituals
The use of Lophophora Williamsii is an integral part of the religious experience for the Wixárika or Huichol Indians. Tourists who are harvesting Peyote on the sacred sites used by the Wixárika for generations are putting the rights of the Wixárika to use Peyote during their religious rituals at risk.
Pedro Medellin, who is running a study on the risks that tourists who harvest Peyote are putting on the Wixárika or Huichol Indians, stressed the importance of the cactus in Wixárika rituals to NPR. Medellin stated, “If Peyote disappears, then their whole culture disappears.”
Furthermore, NIERKIA, the Multidisciplinary Association for the Preservation of the Indigenous Traditions of Sacred Plants, published a pamphlet detailing some of the steps that the Mexican government could take in the future to protect Peyote so that the Wixárika always have access to Peyote during their rituals.
Inconsistent Laws Create More Risk
A loophole in Mexican law allows people to come to San Luis Potosi to consume Lophophora Williamsii in the desert without risking jail time. It is only illegal to harvest and remove the plant from San Luis Potosi to use it in other places. The Mexican government must have more consistent laws about the harvesting and use of Peyote in order to better protect it on the lands that are sacred to the Wixárika.
Even though it is a balancing act to protect the rights of native peoples while also promoting tourism to the area, it is important to ensure that native groups that live in a specific region are not forced to give up their traditional identity in the pursuit of economic prosperity. The Mexican government is beginning to help protect the ancient rituals of the Wixárika.
– Michael Israel
Photo: Flickr
Important Investments in Infrastructure by the World Bank
There are currently over 2,600 active projects worldwide ranging from financial risk management to roads and railways. Investments in infrastructure by the World Bank toward developing countries start in the billions of U.S. dollars. Here are the top five most expensive pledges for active projects in developing countries.
Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor—II (India)
Active investments in infrastructure by the World Bank in India include the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor. It is an expansion effort that increases the reach and efficiency of freight cargo transportation in India’s northern and eastern regions, from Ludhiana to Dankuni.
The Eastern Freight Corridor, a project originally approved in October 2011, is a series of three projects that aim to double Indian Railways’ carrying capacity. In April 2014, the World Bank approved a $1.1 billion pledge, with a total cost of $1.65 billion, for the second tier of the project. This phase is set to build a 393-km, double-track, electrified, freight-only railway with a 25-ton axle-load at 100km/h. This sector will span between Kanpur and Mughal Sarai.
Uttar Pradesh, the most populous Indian state, stands to benefit from increased access to employment, health and education for its citizens by the de-cluttering of roadways. Once completed in December 2019, the full stretch of railway will be 1,839 km and is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 55 percent.
IN Swachh Bharat Mission Support Operation (India)
In 2015, the World Bank agreed to fund $1.5 billion of a $2.2 billion sanitation project, the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) Support Operation. The project focuses on the construction and promotion of using toilets in rural areas in India, in which 67 percent of Indians live.
The project is a part of a universal sanitation initiative that seeks to end the practice of open defecation by 2019. Ten percent of deaths in India are associated with poor sanitation. India also misses out on six percent of possible GDP due to insufficient sanitation. Further investments in infrastructure by the World Bank will provide $25 million to aid state training programs to encourage usage of toilets in rural areas.
PMGSY Rural Roads Project (India)
The Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Rural Roads Project was established in 2010 when India’s National Rural Roads Development Agency and the World Bank agreed to a $1.5 billion deal. The project provides all-weather roads, servicing the states Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Meghalaya, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.
The World Bank’s investment fully funds the PMGSY program for five years and covers civil works expenditures and furnishes a technical assistance program to assist agencies running it. PMGSY Rural completed work in April 2018 on a 7,000 km rural road, which is the longest road assembly in a year since PMGSY began in 2000.
This is the second of multiple investments in infrastructure by the World Bank as a part of the PMGSY project, the first being a $400 million loan in 2004. It connected 9,900 km of rural roads in Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The greater PMGSY project aims for 375,000 km of roads, linking 178,000 habitations and refurbishing 372,000 km of existing rural roads.
South-West Roads: Western Europe-Western China International Transit Corridor (Carec 1b & 6b) (Kazakhstan)
Investments in infrastructure by the World Bank in Kazakhstan look to improve road management and traffic safety. The South-West Roads Project was approved in 2009 when the World Bank agreed to fund $2.125 billion of the $2.50 billion total cost. The project includes constructing a 1,500-km road connecting China and Western Europe from the Aktobe and Kyzylorda district border to South Kazakhstan.
Road construction provides a local economic boost. The World Bank’s end of the deal employs 30,000 to 35,000 people. The cost of workers, subcontractors and materials boasts $1.6 million in spending power. Four thousand South Kazakhstan workers receive $600 a month, compared to the latest estimates that show the average Kazakhstan citizen earns $525 a month.
Eskom Investment Support Project (South Africa)
The largest, active investment in infrastructure by the World Bank is $3.75 billion, funding the Eskom Investment Support Project. Approved in April 2010, the total $10.75 billion project provides support for Eskom to enhance its energy supply and security.
Much of the funding was allocated for completion of the Medupi Power Station, the fourth-largest coal-fueled power plant. Stirring controversy, the plant is expected to add an annual 25 million metric tons of carbon emissions. Eskom is already reported to contribute to a 40 percent share of South Africa’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Eskom is South Africa’s state-owned primary electricity producer and Africa’s largest facility in electricity production. There is concern about Eskom as a monopoly producer of electricity and, accordingly, a call for more contributors in South Africa’s energy market. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa is currently pursuing a legal interdict from the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria in an effort to prevent Eskom from signing 27 renewable energy contracts.
As the World Bank continues to strive for its main objectives–decreasing the percentage of people living on less than $1.90 a day and spurring income growth for the bottom 40 percent–these projects, with such immense lending, are promising for the future of some of the world’s most economically vulnerable populations.
– Thomas Benjamin
Photo: Flickr
The Media Misrepresents South Africa: But Here’s the Good News
But there is more to South Africa than meets the media’s eye. It is a place with much to celebrate. Covering these points of pride is important for the morale of a country. Although the media misrepresents South Africa, some less-common stories with good news have made it through the cracks:
Selling Avocados in Record Numbers
For a country’s economy, agriculture is oftentimes a driving force. That’s why it is good news that South Africa is expecting to sell record numbers of avocados in 2018. After experiencing a drought in previous years, it comes as both good news and a pleasant surprise.
South Africa supplies a large number of avocados to European countries. Those in the country’s avocado industry hope to keep this market while opening up new ones this year.
Leading the way in Eco-Tourism
Tourists are taking advantage of the beautiful South African climate, and South Africa is taking advantage of the boosted audience for educating on water conservation.
South Africa is a world leader in conserving water in tourism-related facilities. The industry takes small, powerful measures to conserve water in restaurants and hotels. These measures rub off on those that visit the country. While the media misrepresents South Africa, ecotourism speaks for itself.
Making Breakthroughs in Renewable Energy
Recently, South Africa signed several agreements to drive renewable energy forward. The plans include constructing a new solar plant that will provide sustainable power for hundreds of thousands of South Africans. An agreement like this comes as no surprise, given the country’s focus on conservation.
For the U.S., this news is a much more productive story to read than those of corruption. The supplier of the solar power plant, SolarReserve, Inc. is a U.S.-based company. The good news for South Africa is both an economic and environmental benefit in America.
Improving Women’s Rights
Countries across the globe struggle with pay inequality. The unfortunate reality is that women, on average, earn less for performing the same work as men. South Africa is not immune to this problem, but the country has made considerable improvements for women.
By several measures, South Africa is making success in closing the pay gap. Women are being encouraged to take part in the business sector like never before. South Africa has been making steady improvement in this area as nearly one-third of the women in the country now have senior management roles.
Beyond this, women are engaging in entrepreneurial activity. Various programs help women to establish themselves and run prosperous businesses. When women’s lives improve, everyone wins. For women’s rights, the rest of the world could learn a lesson from South Africa.
Even though the media misrepresents South Africa, there is good news for this country spanning from women’s rights to avocados. Despite sensational stories of corruption, the real South Africa endures and its legacy will continue to endure regardless of news coverage.
That’s good news.
– Robert Stephen
Photo: Flickr
How the US Benefits from Foreign Aid to Côte d’Ivoire
A Strong Partnership
The U.S. has been building diplomatic relations with Côte d’Ivoire since 1960 when it became independent from France. The U.S. mainly focuses on four areas to assist Côte d’Ivoire:
In 1999, a coup in Côte d’Ivoire disputed elections and spurred rebellion. The U.S. assisted Côte d’Ivoire in moving beyond its decade-long crisis by restoring peace, offering more than 25 percent of the funding for U.N. operations in Côte d’Ivoire. Later on, the U.S. Agency for International Development promoted the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which is a U.S. Trade Act issued on May 18, 2000.
U.S. Benefits from Foreign Aid to Côte d’Ivoire in Trade
Since then, the U.S. and Côte d’Ivoire have shared bilateral economic relations, and the amount of U.S imports from Côte d’Ivoire grew from $384 million in 2000 to $1,163 million in 2016. This is just one of the ways the U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Côte d’Ivoire.
Côte d’Ivoire is viewed as one of Africa’s fastest economic growing countries. From 2006 to 2016, Côte d’Ivoire’s gross domestic product has grown from $17.8 billion to $36.3 billion. In 2015, Côte d’Ivoire exported $12.7 billion in products and 29 percent was cocoa beans. Another noticeable product was refined petroleum, which composed 8.8 percent of the country’s exportation.
AGOA created duty-free imports for certain products from several sub-Saharan African countries. This act further stimulates the U.S. and sub-Saharan African trade and investment and integrates sub-Saharan African economy into the global picture.
Côte d’Ivoire’s economy is heavily based on the agricultural sector, especially cocoa beans. The U.S. is one of the biggest cocoa beans consumers and has easier and cheaper access to import cocoa beans from Côte d’Ivoire. In 2016, the U.S. had imported $834 million of cocoa beans from Côte d’Ivoire. AGOA eliminates extra costs for the U.S. on daily necessities. In this way, the U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Côte d’Ivoire.
A Boost for the Future
In Nov. 2017, Côte d’Ivoire signed $525 million compacts from the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation. The money will be spent in a five-year period to stimulate economic growth and eliminate poverty.
The government of Côte d’Ivoire will contribute another $22 million to various projects, such as the Abidjan Transport Project, which can maintain and improve transportation conditions. Another project receiving funding will be the Skills for Employability and Productivity Project, which will facilitate education systems and provide more opportunities to access secondary education.
Côte d’Ivoire is becoming an even stronger country with U.S. support. Its economic development is accelerating, and its social system is improving as well. Now, Côte d’Ivoire is trying to move its economic anchor from agriculture to other aspects. The U.S. benefits from foreign aid to Côte d’Ivoire will increase if Côte d’Ivoire can develop into a more integrated economic model.
– Judy Lu
Photo: Flickr
The Mechanisms and Determinants of Development
The enduring issue of why some countries are rich while others remain poor has long been the subject of great interest among scholars. New research on the determinants of development, though, appears to better identify the driving force behind development by taking an incisive look at the three traditional economic explanations for these cross-country disparities – economic policy, political institutions and geography.
Based on the findings, the researchers conclude that the primary determinant of developmental success may be the strength of institutions.
Economic Policy, Political Institutions and Geography
The research first laid out the traditional arguments for the importance of policy, institutions and geography as determinants of development.
All three are pretty straightforward: economic policy, such as a nation’s savings rate and the strength of its currency, clearly dictate, to some extent, the economic vitality of a country; geographic factors can also matter, for instance, a landlocked country like Chad – without access to the ocean or major rivers – is at a natural disadvantage because trade becomes a logistical nuisance; institutions — like the rule of law to maintain public safety, ensure property rights, and mitigate corruption — still were found to have a greater impact.
However, the researchers’ revelation was not just that policy and geography took a back seat in importance to the role of institutions in development, but that they were, independently, hardly influential at all. Research sampling 72 countries found that while poor policies may hurt growth rates temporarily, they did not have the sort of impact on long-term income levels that many had previously suspected.
Promotion of Stable Institutions
The relationship between geography and development was a bit more complicated. Although nations with poor geography and stable institutions still do well, the authors acknowledge the role geography often plays in promoting stable institutions historically.
Specifically, nations colonized by Europe in unfavorable regions (in regard to disease and other conditions) were typically turned into rentier states and dealt poorer institutions. Conversely, regions which could be settled were afforded European-mainland style institutions: democracy, property rights and the rule of law.
Determinants of Development
So, Europe’s unique colonial history shows that geography did affect the type of institutions implemented in various countries, and it is these institutions that explain differences in development.
In a sense, the revelation that among the determinants of development, growth is primarily a function of institutions should be somewhat heartening, as institutions can be reformed. Therefore, instead of nations across Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Central America being condemned to second-class status economically, focus can shift to the ways their poor institutions can be altered to better catalyze development.
Although researchers failed to explain the means of doing so directly, recognizing that building robust institutions is the best path toward progress is an important insight.
– Brendan Wade
Photo: Flickr
Steven Pinker on the Three Ways the World Is Getting Better
Bill Gates recently namedEnlightenment Now his “new favorite book of all time.” Written by Harvard cognitive scientist Steven Pinker, Enlightenment Now makes a persuasive case for the numerous ways in which the world is getting better, safer, healthier and more prosperous. Acutely aware of our negativity bias — the tendency to respond more strongly to negative news — Pinker seeks to provide a contrasting story to what leads in the news. The result is a holistic view of human progress. Here are three ways Pinker demonstrates how the world is getting better:
Life
Life expectancy has risen dramatically since the late nineteenth century, while child and maternal mortality has fallen dramatically. What is more, these trends are not exclusive to wealthy, developed nations. While increasing life expectancy in Africa and Asia has lagged behind Europe and the Americas, people all over the world are living 35 years longer than they did in 1860.
Health
To demonstrate the dramatic breakthroughs in human health in the past few centuries, Pinker runs through the dwindling impacts of the worst infectious diseases, as well as a graveyard of afflictions conquered by science, economic development and humanity’s “expanding circle of sympathy.”
By Pinker’s measure, the chlorination of water and eradication of smallpox and measles alone contributes to 428 million saved lives.
Peace
The constant coverage of conflict zones in the news belies the diminishing currency of war. Pinker points to three downward trends as evidence — great power wars, battle deaths and genocide deaths. Pinker holds “trade, democracy, economic development, peace-keeping forces, and international law” responsible for a world that is becoming more and more peaceful.
Pinker is remarkably thorough in his treatment of human progress. Not only does he include the obvious indicators like life-expectancy and mortality, Pinker throws in improving equal rights, wealth, quality of life and the prevalence of lighting strikes, among other esoterica.
However, Pinker is well aware that while the data supports his argument, human nature does not. As a result of our negativity bias, there is a gulf between the facts of progress and our perception of it. Bridging this gulf is the reason for the book, and likely the reason Bill Gates, who dubs himself an “impatient optimist,” is so fond of it; things are getting better and nobody is noticing. Or more accurately, things are getting better and people think things are getting worse.
Maintaining a Positive Outlook
The first graph that appears in the book — one of seventy-five charts and figures — measures the tone of the news over time by tracking the prevalence of positive and negative-associated words appearing in world broadcasts and the New York Times. According to the news, the world is becoming gloomier; Pinker begs to differ. It is no justification for complacency, but in his perspective, the world is getting better.
– Whiting Tennis
Photo: Flickr
American Bar Association Strengthens Rule of Law in Saudi Arabia
The rule of law in Saudi Arabia was developed and strengthened through a partnership between the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Prince Sultan University College of Law in Saudi Arabia.
American Bar Association
The ABA was formed more than 130 years ago at a time when lawyers generally worked with domestic matters and learned the law trade by apprenticeship. International law, though, was a theme of one of the seven committees first established by the ABA, and acknowledged the importance of law in a global setting.
Lewis Powell wrote in 1965 as the ABA president about the association’s endeavor to identify “what lawyers can do of a practical character to advance the rule of law among nations.” He also identified that “the only viable alternative to the rule of force is the rule of law.”
In today’s globalized society, the ABA enforces the importance of rule of law or democratic governance in many nations like Saudi Arabia. The association states that an impartial and calculable rule of law in a country will lead to good international relations.
Rule of Law Initiative
The Rule of Law Initiative (ROLI) was created by the ABA and acts as an international development initiative to advocate for justice, economic opportunity and human dignity through the rule of law.
The initiative identifies that breaches in the rule of law have bolstered many international challenges, encompassing health pandemics, migrants escaping poverty, vicious extremism, and illegal trade of weapons, drugs and human beings. Promoting the rule of law would help alleviate these challenges, create national security and furnish economic opportunities both in the affected nation and in the United States.
Since the first rule of law program in 1990 worked exclusively in Central and Eastern Europe, the ABA then created rule of law initiatives in other nations. In 2007, the ABA decided to consolidate the five overseas rule of law programs to formulate the ROLI.
Today, the ROLI program and more than $40 million in annual funding from governmental and private donors combines staff and consultants to work with the pro-bono expertise of ABA members to promote legal reforms in more than 50 countries.
The five core principles of the institution are:
To prioritize sustainable solutions to the rule of law challenge, the ROLI collaborates with in-country partners, encompassing government ministries, judges, lawyers, bar associations, law schools, court administrators, legislatures and civil society organizations. Rule of law in Saudi Arabia and other nations bolsters a more peaceful world.
ABA ROLI Partnership with Prince Sultan University
Beginning on January 21, 2018, the ABA ROLI and the Prince Sultan University College of Law in Saudi Arabia combined forces to teach 26 female law students applicable skills like accounting principles applicable to legal practice, law practice management, legal writing and oral advocacy.
The project consisted of a month-long series of classes with each week presenting on one of the applicable skills to the legal practice. The classes were taught by five pro-bono legal experts from the United States, bringing decades of legal experience to share with the aspiring law students.
This month-long development session was the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia, and it provided practical skills courses that allowed female law students to gain experience on successful strategies for advancing their legal professions.
The ABA ROLI partners with many law schools worldwide to advance curricula, create clinical legal programs and strengthen skills-building activities. As evidenced by the partnership for rule of law in Saudi Arabia, the association’s assistance in preparing the next generation of legal professionals serves as a wonderful omen for future success.
– Andrea Quade
Photo: Flickr