Category: Development

Asia, Development, History

From Emerging Giant to Economic Titan: India’s Journey to #5

In the final quarter of 2021, India overtook the UK and became one of the world’s top 5 largest economics (amongst powerhouses such as the US, China, Japan, and Germany). Now the country is projected to be the 3rd largest economy by 2027 ($5.4 trillion GDP by 2025) and has the largest population, overtaking China in April 2023. It is interesting to witness how a former … Continue reading From Emerging Giant to Economic Titan: India’s Journey to #5

Unknown's avatarShreyas Veturi1 Comment
Development, International, Middle East and Africa

Beyond the Barrel: Economic Evolution in a Post-Oil World

Oil, often referred to as ‘black gold’, has historically had a profound impact on the global economy. Its original use in ancient civilisation was for medicine and lighting. However in the 19th century, it became the lifeblood of industrialisation, powering machinery, transportation and ultimately shaping geopolitics. Today, oil remains a critical driver of the global economy. As the world becomes more environmentally oriented (coupled with other … Continue reading Beyond the Barrel: Economic Evolution in a Post-Oil World

Unknown's avatarShreyas Veturi1 Comment
China, Development

Chinese Economic Growth, Against All Odds

Today, China is an economic powerhouse with the second highest nominal GDP (after the USA) and the highest GDP PPP (when GDP is adjusted for prices in a country) in the world. Yet just over 40 years ago, in 1981, it had a nominal GDP lower than that of Canada, a country that had a population 40 times smaller than it. The nominal GDP per … Continue reading Chinese Economic Growth, Against All Odds

Unknown's avatarEtonomicsLeave a comment
Asia, Development

South Korea – Miracle on the Han River

The Korea of the early 20th century is unrecognisable compared to the South Korea we know today. During the first half of the 1900s the Korean economy was underdeveloped, lacking proper infrastructure, had limited industry, and was still an economy that was largely dependent on agriculture. The majority of the population was involved in farming, but they generally used outdated equipment resulting in low farming … Continue reading South Korea – Miracle on the Han River

Unknown's avatarBenji BushnellLeave a comment
Americas, Development

The Impact of Breaking Bad on Albuquerque 

‘My name is Walter Hartwell White. I live at 308 Negra Arroyo Lane Albuquerque New Mexico 87104. This is my confession.’ That’s perhaps the most iconic line from the award-winning show ‘Breaking Bad’. Breaking Bad was filmed from 2008 to 2013 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Initially, director Vince Gilligan wanted to shoot in California, but after Sony bought the series, they requested a change of … Continue reading The Impact of Breaking Bad on Albuquerque 

Unknown's avatarLucas PinsentLeave a comment
Development, History, Latin America

Venezuela: A Petrostate’s Fall from Grace and The Exodus of Its People

In 1976, Venezuela’s economy was booming amid an oil crisis, and Caracas (its capital) was one of only four destinations to which Concorde, the fastest and most expensive aircraft of its time, alighted. However, the Venezuela of 1976 is a world away from the Venezuela that is currently under the dictatorship of President Nicolas Maduro. In fact, from the 1950s to the early 1980s, Venezuela … Continue reading Venezuela: A Petrostate’s Fall from Grace and The Exodus of Its People

Unknown's avatarNico Sesson FarreLeave a comment
Asia, Development, Environment

The Indian Agriculture Issue

Providing food for over 1.3 billion people in the second most populous country (at time of writing)  in the world is challenging. However, in 2019, this already arduous job had been compounded by a perfect storm of issues, ranging from a reduction in income to climate change reducing crop yields. This left farmers desperately looking to their government for help. In response to their cries and … Continue reading The Indian Agriculture Issue

Unknown's avatarTanish Navamani1 Comment
Business and Technology, Development, International

The World should be More Careful with Automation…

The question of automation replacing jobs has been especially debated in recent times. This was initially because of COVID-19, which substantially increased investment into developing new technology due to skyrocketing demand for digital goods. Then, with the breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (AI) research, such as the invention of ChatGPT, the public has begun to worry about higher skilled jobs being at risk too. This essay … Continue reading The World should be More Careful with Automation…

Unknown's avatarZihan Tian2 Comments
Development, History, Middle East and Africa, Politics

From Guns to Gold: The Wagner Group’s exploitation of Africa and Ukraine

PMC (“Private Military Company”) Wagner, more commonly known as The Wagner Group, is a paramilitary organisation based in Russia. Founded in 2014, Yevgeny Prigozhin a Russian oligarch and a close confidant of Russian president Vladimir Putin, took over the company shortly after its founding. The Wagner Group first came to prominence during the Donbas conflict in Ukraine from 2014 to 2015. The Wagner Group’s activities … Continue reading From Guns to Gold: The Wagner Group’s exploitation of Africa and Ukraine

Unknown's avatarNico Sesson Farre1 Comment
Asia, Development, Finance and Markets, International

Microfinance: What went wrong?

In 1983, Mohammed Yunus founded the Grameen Bank. His idea was simple: the bank would grant tiny loans, often no more than $100, to women in rural Bangladesh who had no access to credit. In the following decades, repayment rates for some schemes were as high as 98%, and Yunus attracted major funds from backers such as the Ford Foundation. In 2020, more than $50 billion of credit was being given to the poor – this time, by giant global banks, … Continue reading Microfinance: What went wrong?

Unknown's avatarthomasbpotterLeave a comment