· January, 2009

Stories about Economics & Business from January, 2009

Jamaica: Local Obama?

  29 January 2009

“Jamaicans should ask for nothing but the best from those who would aspire to lead”: Abeng News Magazine‘s Trevor Dawes thinks it might be time for a Jamaican Obama.

Zambia: Gateway Liberalisation

  29 January 2009

Zambian Economist is happy about the Zambian government decision to liberalise international gateway, “Its been a long road arguing for decoupling Zamtel and full IG liberalisation. To see government signal both is quite something.”

Africa: Of Investments and Trade in Africa

  29 January 2009

Yangu discusses the future of trade and investment on the African continent. He argues that, “That Investment opportunities in Africa have expanded over the past few years is no longer a matter of conjecture but rather an issue that a lot of analysts, venture capitalists and investors at large are...

Latvia: Flash Mob To Support Public Radio

  28 January 2009

Free Speech Emergency in Latvia writes that “employees of Latvia's public service radio (Latvijas Radio) have called for a flash-mob to gather near the parliament (Saeima) building for five minutes on Friday, January 30 to stand in complete silence to protest the “silencing” of the national radio service through budget...

Trinidad & Tobago: New Grassroots Effort

  28 January 2009

“As tens of thousands come together in Belem, Brazil for the…World Social Forum, we send early word of a parallel volunteer, grassroots effort coming out of the Caribbean to extend the debate over globalization and the global economic crisis into new realities of social justice, equity, sustainable development, and peace...

Guyana: Going High-Tech

  28 January 2009

Guyana 360 maintains that the former First Lady is not the only one who has suffered “high-tech abuse” at the hands of the country's President.

Fiji: Internet and BPO industry

  28 January 2009

According to The Coconut Wireless, Fiji needs to expand its internet infrastructure if it wants to attract investors in the Business Process Offshoring industry.

Is New Zealand bullying Fiji?

  28 January 2009

Kiwipolitico accuses New Zealand of being hypocritical and neo-imperialist for criticizing Fiji's military leadership yet it maintains trade and diplomatic relations with countries with “less than stellar human rights records.”

Russia: “Economic Shock Therapy”

  28 January 2009

Sean's Russia Blog cites the director of the Serbsky State Scientific Center for Social and Forensic Psychiatry, who says that “since the financial crisis requests for psychologists have grown by 10 percent and psychotherapy by 20 percent. So much so that the Center has opened a hotline for people in...

Latvia: Politics Updates

  27 January 2009

Two updates on the post-Jan. 13 politics in Latvia – at Baltic, here and here: “Whoever you speak today in this Baltic country recognizes that discontent about the present political class is simply unbearable.” All About Latvia adds: “If Latvia were a civilized country, the government would have long collapsed...

Egyptians are Going Local

  27 January 2009

Inji, an avid Egyptian blogger and young economist who is distraught by the numerous emails and SMS messages calling for boycotting products, decided to “boycott the boycott” and take it to a positive extent. Nermeen Edrees brings us the story.

Bangladesh: The Trousers Island

  27 January 2009

Maverick Tanvier's Journal comments that Bangladesh is becoming a ‘Trousers Island’: “one in every seven trousers sold in the USA is made in Bangladesh”.

India: Rural vs Urban India

  27 January 2009

India in Peril posts a comparison: “(The) economic gap between the urban-rich and the rural-poor is very wide. This may be understood by the fact that a rural-poor is available for 10-12 hours of hard work a day for Rs 2,000/- a month, while the minimum wage of a government...

Trinidad & Tobago: Big and Bad?

  27 January 2009

Following a statement from the Urban Development Company of Trinidad and Tobago‘s chief operating officer that implied that the company was answerable to no-one, Jumbie's Watch says: “When yuh big, yuh big, and when yuh bad, yuh bad. Not so?”