Picks of the week: Microfinancing, monitoring aid and file sharing.
[i-a view at the sea]
Here are the interesting links I harvested this week:
- Third Sector is a new discovery. A UK on-line publication for everyone who needs to know what’s going on in the voluntary and not-for-profit sector.
- Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is a nonprofit organization that creates and evaluates approaches to solving development problems, and disseminates information about what works and what does not to policymakers, practitioners, investors and donors around the world.
- Marginal Revolution goes under the banner "Small steps toward a much better world". It is witty, it is informative, and fun to read.
- AidWatch is a new blog keeping a critical eye on the efficiency of aid.-- Added to the list of "Aid Resources" in the side column.
- For the nerds amongst you: drop.io allows you to share any file, for free. I use it to share .pdf files.
- Wokai is a new startup microfinancing platform where you can fund entrepreneurs in China. An alternative to Kiva?
- Africa Can End Poverty is the blog of Shanta Devarajan, the Chief Economist of the Africa Region at the World Bank. Sounds very formal, but his blog is not. Recommended!!
More Picks of the Week on The Road. Read the full post...
News: The Last Days of the Wolf
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There was a lot of controversy about the appointment of Wolfowitz as the president of the Worldbank. He is seen as a Bush puppet and one of the architects of the Iraq war. The nomination did not get a lot of support from the UN member states, and certainly not from the general public. Personally, I felt ashamed to be a UN staff member when he became one.
Wolfowitz recently became involved in a scandal as he personally intervened in the handling of a high-paying promotion for his girlfriend, Shaha Riza. European countries led by France, Germany and the Netherlands, jumped on the opportunity and have said Wolfowitz should step down to salvage the bank's credibility.
A Worldbank board panel now found Wolfowitz broke bank rules and represented a conflict of interest.
Read the full story here. It seems his last days in the Worldbank are numbered. It was just a matter of time...
Flash update: Wolfowitz resigns from the Worldbank. Full story here.
Picture courtesy Reuters. I found this news item via The Other World News
