I have to admit that I am getting a bit swept up by the Obama victory. For those interested in Obama’s connection to our 3 favorite subjects here at the IDB. I suggest checking out the following articles:
India: This column from “The Hindu” by Siddharth Varadarajan details the consequences of an Obama administration for India. Varadarajan strikes a cautious note, suggesting that the “unabashed lovefest” for India during the Bush administration will now likely come to an end.
Microfinance: According to this article from “The New Nation,” Obama’s mother, Stanley Ann Dunham Soetoro, was an early promoter of “microfinancing for women in Indonesia, well before the idea of giving women small loans became a major component of development. Her research helped the Bank Rakyat Indonesia set [future] policy…” Bank Rakyat Indonesia is one of the world’s largest MFIs. She also went on to work at Women’s World Banking, a global network of microfinance providers. Thanks to Microfinance Gateway for linking to this article.
Economic Research: This terrific New Yorker article by George Packer, quotes Cass Sunstein, a Harvard law professor, claiming that Obama “knows an astonishing amount about cutting-edge economic thinking.” One piece of evidence he gives for this is Obama’s support for automatic enrolment in retirement plans, with the option to withdraw (rather than the other way around). The evidence for the impact of this policy comes from a study conducted by behavioral economist Richard Thaler and behavioral finance professor Shlomo Benartzi.
0 comments:
Post a Comment