Development Debate

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s debtbook diplomacy under the guise of a developmental helping hand, an economic windfall to his South-South friends, turns into a stranglehold on their very sovereign economic livelihoods.

COVID-19 offers mankind a blank page for a new beginning. The question, however, is are we prepared for a fresh start?

The goal of the buddy system is not the artificial redistribution of wealth from the wealthier to the poorer countries. The goal is to facilitate interaction and exchange between the buddy countries on different levels, from administration to citizen initiatives.

Thirty-two of the world’s largest companies stand to see their profits jump by $109 billion more in 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic lays bare an economic model that delivers profits for the wealthiest on the back of the poorest, according to a new Oxfam report released this week.

According to the OECD’s latest Global Outlook on Financing for Sustainable Development, developing countries are facing a shortfall of USD 1.7 trillion in the financing they would need this year to keep them on track for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as governments and investors grapple with the health, economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 crisis.

In the past, dependency thoughts broke some political boundaries and explained the reasons why wealthy nations were taking advantage of poor countries, and today they are useful in explaining recurring financial crises, the reckless use of natural resources and widening inequalities both in the global South and the North.

Development, Neoliberalism, and Islamism in South Asia: The Case of Bangladesh poses the issue of development, in which development for a group of people can lead to underdevelopment for marginalized others. The author critiques the neoliberal definition of development on two important grounds: first, it is limited to material wealth, and second, ignores people's freedom and well-being. He argues neoliberalism is a “great reversal” of the theories of John Maynard Keynes and contradicts the development history of the industrialized West.

The impact that women in tech are having on the industry is clear. From AI and cybersecurity to healthcare and finance, women are driving innovation and change, and shaping the future of the industry in a significant way.