What You Got for Collateral?
Call it business sense, horse sense, common sense, you name it. Whatever it is, this “Native American” will defiantly not be fooled. So the story begins… The banker pulls out the loan application… “What are you going to do with the money?” he asks the native American. “Buy Silver, make jewellery, and sell it,” was […]
Why Some Countries are Poor and Others Rich?
Why some countries are poor and others rich is a question that few have a clear answer to. While the ‘answer’ certainly isn’t straightforward, it is generally accepted that there are three main factors that determine the wealth of nations. In order of importance they rank as follows: Institutional, Cultural and, Geographical. Watch the video […]
The Economics of Sex
Economics is everywhere, even when it comes to sex. Supply and demand set the price in many markets, including that of the sex market, which has been ‘volatile’ in recent years. Both men and women exercise control over the process, yet various factors, such as the introduction and widespread adaptation of contraception, are dramatically changing […]
Forget Robocop. Prepare for Robolaywer.
Lawyers and bankers are the professionals everyone loves to hate on. Shakespeare’s line from Henry VI captures this sentiment in a strong but clear way: ”The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” Soon, that dream, albeit it being hypothetical, may come true, and machines will be the ones to do it. Forty […]
Academic Research FREE FOR ALL!
As the saying goes, knowledge is POWER. The problem is, most research papers remain tucked away behind paywalls. This means that unless your computer is on the network of a university with an expensive subscription, you have to pay a fee – a fee that usually amounts to 30 bucks per paper! Elsevier is one […]
We Only Consume 20 out of 300.000 Edible Plants!
Did you know that mother earth hosts around 300.000 edible plants but that on average 80% of our caloric intake is derived from 20 highly modified species? It is this interesting fact that inspired an organisation called Bio-Innovation Zimbabwe (BIZ) to rediscover some of these resilient and versatile plant species. An additional benefit is that […]
How This Tiny Country Feeds the World
The Netherlands, or Holland as many people know it by (difference explained here), is a relatively small country that ranks 135th in the worlds landmass rankings. Apart from its tiny landmass, they also have to furiously battle their seas, and even had to reclaim some land back from the sea, to get themselves a bit […]
Poor to Gain from Bureaucracy
Many in the developed world will rightly think we have quite enough of it, but increasing bureaucracy in developing countries may prove to be a key tool in boosting overall prosperity. According to the UN four billion people (!) live without an official address and 1 billion people lack proof of identity, according to the […]
Wealthy Individuals are Eying up Impact Investing
Professor Shaughnessy, Executive Professor Entrepreneurship & Innovation Group at Northeastern University, talks about the 3rd way wealthy individuals are making investments. The 3rd way represents social impact investing (don’t forget about environmental impact), a sector that is estimated to represent $200bn in investment capital. While this is an impressive number please note that social impact […]
Vocational Bridges to Nowhere
”Dear governments and aid agencies: Please stop hurting poor people with your skills training programs”. This is the appeal from Chris Blattman, who, citing the paper ”Generating employment in poor and fragile states: Evidence from labor market and entrepreneurship programs.” throws in an impressive number too as the World Bank and its client governments have […]