Sustainable Good

Recession as a Boost for Gender Equality?

We are currently in the grip of one of the worst recessions in modern history.   The U.S. economy has shed 6 million jobs since the beginning of the recession.  The unemployment rate hit 9.4% in May as 345,000 jobs disappeared, marking the 17th straight month of job loss.  But one interesting feature is how the job losses are spread across gender lines.  Male unemployment rose to 10.5% in May, compared to 8% for women.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 82% of the job losses have fallen on men, as male-dominated economic sectors like construction and manufacturing contract faster than female-dominated ones like health care and education.  This will only get worse, as Princeton economist Alan Blinder estimates that between 28 and 42 million more jobs in the U.S. are at risk of outsourcing, once again disproportionately held by men.  What this implies is that women are poised to surpass men for the first time on the nation’s payrolls, which is a remarkable milestone on the journey that started with WWII, when women came out of their homes and joined the labor force to take the places of men who left to fight. 

What Do Vultures Have To Do with International Development?

Many scholars have claimed that the lifestyles we have gotten used to in the United States perpetuate the ongoing poverty in other countries.  Some say that the U.S. (5% of the world's population) takes up 25% of world's resources, which forces poorer countries to make do with less.  Others disagree -- claiming that the world has limitless resources due to technology and ingenuity.   Economists go back and forth on this debate, each side citing different numbers and various graphs to prove their points. 

An extreme example of exploitation, however is when companies buy international debt, for pennies on the dollar.  If the U.S. cancels the debt, these companies sue the developing countries for the whole debt plus interest.  These funds are called "vulture funds", and rightly so.  They allow companies to sit and wait for the perfect time to attack, when countries are at their most vulnerable state.

Many countries whose debt is just canceled are now made to pay these companies the money that could have gone to help reduce the AIDS epidemic, build new schools, or anything else that would promote well-being and economic recovery.

This is so awful, that Representative Maxine Waters recently introduced a bill to outlaw such funds.

"The act would protect impoverished countries from the predatory practices of vulture funds and allow these countries to use their limited resources to meet the needs of their people," said Waters. "I am proud of my work in Congress to cancel poor countries' debts. We cannot allow vulture funds to erode the progress that has enabled many of the world's most impoverished nations to reduce poverty."

Will the Proposed Climate Change Legislation Create Change?

The other day, I helped out with a briefing that was cosponsored by the Friends Committee on National Legislation, Friends of the Earth and MoveOn.org. The briefing was about ways to improve the Climate Change bill that is currently moving through the House of Representatives that was proposed by Reps. Markey and Waxman. The bill is an attempt to slow and eventually halt climate change. But will it actually do that??? Probably not say many environmental groups.

poverty and immigration

Recently, I attended part of the "Reform Immigration for America Summit" here in Washington DC.  I learned more about my friend, John Glazer's commitment to the New Sanctuary Movement and along with hundreds of other committed activists, cheered as Rep. Gutierrez of Chicago described the importance of passing a Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill.  Soon, President Obama will sit down with legislators to discuss Comprehensive Immigration Reform and faith communities all around the country are coming together to form prayer vigils and speak up about the moral implications within immigration policy.

What does this have to do with poverty (and more specifically Outreach International) you ask?

In far too many cases, people who live in extreme poverty or overwhelming insecurity are forced to migrate from their homes to a location that provides a safe, livable place where families are able to survive and thrive.

While Outreach International works with communities to create places where people create whole lives for themselves, some situations make this extremely difficult.  Millions of people all around the world flee from neighborhoods that have been devastated by war, communities where there is no sustainable work, or governments who threaten their civil liberties. 

Iran, Democracy and Development

The recent election dispute in Iran and the seemingly likely vote-rigging in that election make me realize again how important free and fair elections are. While I try to respect other forms of government different from democracy and recognize that there are benefits and drawbacks in every form of government, I truly believe in the power of participation. I believe that every person has the right to participate in their government. This right should be protected by the government and it should be treasured by the people. And it is essential to development.

The Ugly Politics of Foreign Aid

I just read a pertinent article called, “The Foreign Aid Crusade: Overdue for a Makeover”.   In it, Adam Graham-Silverman explains the current status of foreign aid.  I can't link to the article at the moment, so here's a run down in my own words:

 

Ever since the end of the Cold War in 1991, foreign aid has slipped down to mere pennies (relatively speaking.)  At the height of the Cold War, the U.S.’s concern for its social and political image around the world was paramount.  Sending monies overseas to countries that were dealing with huge humanitarian crises (such as extreme hunger, disease, and poverty) encouraged most of the world to see the U.S. as generous benefactors -- worthy of praise and support.

 

When the Cold War ended, less priority was placed on the U.S.image around the world and foreign aid precipitously dropped.

Congress has not passed a foreign aid bill since 1961.  The bill has been amended numerous times – but these have only been stop-gap measures that attempt to make the legislation relevant to our current time.  And now it looks like an overused day planner – half scratched out, additions throughout the document – to the point where it makes little to no sense and is extremely confusing.  It has over 140 goals, over a dozen agencies working on the same thing, redundant policy, etc. 

 

Toward Conflict-Free Electronics

Campaigns highlighting the links between diamonds and conflict, knitwear and sweatshops and coffee and exploitative working conditions have done much to raise consumers' awareness of the hidden human cost to seemingly ordinary products.

But did you know that your cellphone, your laptop or digital camera could be fueling the world's most deadly contemporary war, the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)? For instance, a recent report found that the batteries from Nokia, LG, Motorola, Samsung and possibly Sony Ericsson mobile phones contain cobalt mined in the DRC.