Few topics in the broad domain of ‘development’ are as sexy as microfinance. Rock stars, royalty, the Nobel prize committee – almost everyone seems to have embraced it. Public relations for microfinance has been awesome.

It is tempting, as the 2015 target date for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) creeps relentlessly closer, to take stock of our chances of actually meeting them. Most experts paint a mixed picture. The consensus is that while there has been a…

One of my PhD students works for the Millennium Villages project – the much publicized programme aimed at assisting communities to lift themselves out of poverty. Coordinated by Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University…

Does hostility by outsiders generate generosity and solidarity towards fellow group members? This question sheds light on a puzzle that has preoccupied social scientists since Darwin’s time. How can pro-social behaviour – including a desire for sh…

A few months ago I was in Ghana and visited St George’s castle in Elmina, the infamous fort used by the Dutch to hold large numbers of African slaves prior to their ‘export’ to the New World. The Dutch captured the fort from the Portuguese in 1637…

For those of us who try to stay informed about the state of world affairs via the Dutch media, it appears as if a new consensus has emerged: that development aid is bad for Africa. Aid is presented as a lose-lose proposition, kept intact by well-m…

What’s the connection between China’s one-child policy and the ability of the United States to continue spending beyond its means? You can be excused for not immediately guessing the answer to this bizarre question. The truth is an amazing story.

Fossil fuel reserves are being depleted. Volatile oil prices are wrecking economic havoc worldwide. Oil rents are supporting dictators, and fuelling conflicts. And carbon emissions from the use of fossil fuels represent one of the biggest threats…

According to a recent International Labour Organization (ILO) report, some 74 million children below the age of 14 are engaged in the so-called ‘worst forms’ of child labour. Although this number has been declining over time, it is still too high…

Earlier this year, economist Paul Collier visited the Netherlands and talked about the policy recommendations spelled out in his best-selling book The Bottom Billion. He flew in from Africa, spent a few hours in the Netherlands, and then was on hi…