Stories about Economics & Business from February, 2013
Under Pressure, Spain Opens Door to Foreclosure Reform
The Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca (PAH), joined by an impressive social movement, fought for Congress to change mortgage legislation in Spain. In the end, the Popular Party bowed to intense public pressure mobilized via the #ILPescrache hashtag.
Spain: €8.1 Million Bail for the King's Son-in-law
Iñaki Urdangarín, Duke of Palma, accused of embezzlement of public funds, fraud, breach of trust/corruption and forgery of documents since 2012, has been in and out of the courts with less than enviable frequency. Recently, a warrant for Urdangarín was issued in relation to misappropriation of public funds.
European Regional Differences
Slovak NGO/think-tank Conservative Institute [en] blogged [sk] about the results of a study of 270 second-level EU regions (NUTS 2). Comparing changes in unemployment, they found that during 1990-2011, despite the growing amount of Euro-funds, the differences between the regions grew by about 4 percentage points. In more than 50...
Impact of Factory Jobs on Workers’ Wealth
Work for Chris Blattman in Ethiopia to assess the impact of low-skill, low-wage factory jobs on the worker’s wealth, health and politics (among other things).
Trinidad & Tobago: Cyber Security
ICT Pulse wonders how serious the Caribbean really is about cybercrime and online security.
RuNet Freedom: a Pirate's Revenge
Amid brazen attempts to censor the RuNet, one group is fighting back. On February 4, the Pirate Party of Russia has announced a new specialized internet hosting service, called the PirateHost, created in retaliation to attacks on Russian internet freedoms.
India: Not-for-profit vs. For-profit Ventures
In India it is easier to find funding for a not-for-profit handicraft venture than for for-profit. And these funds are sometimes used to keep alive trades that are inefficient and thus give the artisans a false impression that demand actually exists for their produce. Pertinent Observations finds the entire ecosystem...
Malaysia's Green Issues in 2013
An increasingly discerning electorate coupled with growing environmental awareness means that governments and corporations can no longer get away with sloppy environmental management. Instead of being defensive, the best way forward for the state and businesses is to engage the public proactively and be transparent about the details of the...
The Future of E-Commerce and Mobile Payments in Africa
Mbawana Alliy says that e-commerce & mobile payments in Africa will not scale without business process integration:”As I tell the startups in our accelerator who are exploring integrating payments, its not just about accepting payments its about a business process and even business model rethink and in turn convince both...
Barbados: I'll Have a Burger
Two Barbadian bloggers discuss the arrival of a fast food franchise on the island.
Massive Political Corruption Causes Outrage in Spain
The former treasurer of the governing Popular Party, Luis Bárcenas, is being investigated for paying bonus salaries under the table to well known public officers. The case has caused strong reactions that had led to protests on the streets and on the web.
