Regions
Should taxpayers subsidize philanthropists?
The Huffington Post carries a rare critique of big-ticket philanthropy. As philanthropists gain more influence and tread on issues previously in the public space, does the taxpayer have to subsidize their view on how public financing should be spent?
The OLPC (should be) Dead, Let Live the Aakash
The OLPC project will launch its third iteration at this years CES, but 6 years after launch it may still not reach the elusive USD 100 target. Meanwhile, a small startup in Canada has orders to ship 2 million of its USD 50 tablets to Indian consumers. It is time the OLPC was put to rest.
In India, an attempt to outsource the fight against corruption
Anna Hazare may have placed corruption front and center on the public agenda. But the proposed solution will undermine India’s political system, which is working for many, and only shift the problem elsewhere.
Microfinance backlash underlines contradictions of social business
The backlash against microfinance in India has exposed a fundamental contradiction of social businesses – that they are essentially businesses. Private capital may help them grow but it brings with it a strong tendency to turn social businesses from being social to being businesses.
Is their a better dream than the American Dream?
There are at least two ways to measure a society – to what extent is it equal and to what extent is it just. America has failed on both counts. Developing countries, looking to growth must find better ways to protect their own populations from the vagaries of destiny and birth.
BP will pay for the Gulf oil spill, but will the rest?
The true tragedy of the Gulf oil spill is that the political posturing of Obama and Congress will prevent those really responsible from being held accountable.
Women’s reservation is a (unreservedly) good idea
Women’s reservation in politics finally arrived in India on Women’s Day. This bill may not be the best solution or only solution to empowering women. But let not the perfect be the enemy of the good.
What kind of patent protection does India want?
The rejection of Bayer’s patent case in India is a landmark in defining the process by which patents are enforcable. It settles important questions on the limits of automatic patent protection provided by the system, providing a balance between private profit and public good.
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