Development

Rampant inflation, food insecurity and the exchange rate affect many in Haiti. The reduction of poverty, which affects almost 60 percent of the population, is understandably a central goal.

In his first speech, President Jovenel Moïse spoke of “a Haiti where the inhabitants do not only struggle against poverty; a Haiti where everyone can find a better life.”

President Trump’s executive order eliminating President Obama’s standards for power plants guts the main U.S. measure to reduce harmful carbon emissions, and in doing so reveals the emptiness of the Paris climate treaty.

The science is clear-cut: Climate change is real and mostly caused by humanity. Obama committed America to major carbon cuts.

According to the International Energy Agency, the U.S. promised to cut more energy-related CO2 emissions than any country in the world from 2013 to 2025, under the Paris climate treaty.

Girls’ education is one of the most powerful things that any nation can invest in, because it creates large and lasting social and economic benefits. Girls who are well-educated go on to lead more empowered, prosperous lives. They delay pregnancy until they are older, affecting maternal and infant mortality rates. And they raise healthier children, creating a virtuous cycle with inter-generational benefits.

A sad reality of this hyper-partisan, politicized era is that many policy proposals are immediately identified as either “left-wing” or “right-wing” and lauded and derided by partisans as if by rote, with little room for discussion about soundness or impact. But there is an alternative that could help us get past this political divisiveness: using data to help us focus on the policies and investments that would have the biggest positive impact on society.

Hundreds or even thousands of lives could be saved every year by improving the ambulance network, or by training paramedics and first aid volunteers, according to new research for Haiti Priorise.

In Haiti in 2013 and 2014, more than half-a-million accidents and emergencies resulted in 9000 deaths. Fewer than two percent were attended by free ambulances.

Improving the emergency response system is a challenge for many developing nations. Trauma patients are six-times more likely to die in low-income countries than in rich ones.

Seit Anfang 2016 gelten die nachhaltigen Entwicklungsziele der Vereinten Nationen. So ambitiös sie sind, so nutzenstiftend sind sie zugleich. Auch aus Anlegersicht sind sie interessant.

It sounds almost too good to be true: a single development investment that tackles one of Haiti’s biggest death-tolls and at the same time combats deforestation and pollution. That is what one contribution to the Haiti Priorise project suggests.

While some depictions show Haiti to be almost entirely deforested, recent work finds that up to one-third of land is covered in trees. In any case, having more trees can help Haiti, because it can prevent erosion, aid pollination, and improve water-flow.

Most aid and philanthropy decisions are made based on persuasive sounding narratives, and we relish taking part in those stories, even if the actual results are mixed. But the results of the most pragmatic approach, built on statistics and economic analysis rather than narrative, can be stunning.

Bjorn Lomborg discusses as part of his talk for the Long Now Foundation. 

The participation rate in Haitian elections is low. In last October’s election, less than one-quarter of eligible voters participated.

The process is long and complex, leaving opportunities for error and fraud, while the costs of holding an election have climbed more than 400% in 25 years.

With apparent broad public support, electronic voting has been suggested as one way of reducing the cost, cutting the opportunities for error and fraud, and re-establishing public trust.

¿Cuáles son los mayores problemas a los que se enfrenta la humanidad? En cualquier parte del mundo en donde hago esta pregunta, escucho respuestas bastante similares: la falta de educación y oportunidades, la pobreza, la desigualdad, la violencia y la guerra, la degradación ambiental.

Pero estar de acuerdo en que existe un problema no es lo mismo que saber cómo solucionarlo. Cuando hablamos de gasto en desarrollo y de filantropía, es demasiado fácil malgastar el dinero —y perder oportunidades— porque esta importante distinción es ignorada.