Will African nations choose their own development paths, moving away from former colonial powers? How should we interpret China’s efforts to increase its presence in Africa? Does it pose a threat to African populations or is it an opportunity for change? These are among the questions of a “debate café” held in Maastricht on 25 February 2014. The debate features panel members from UNU-MERIT, including Profs. Adam Szirmai and Wim Naudé, as well as PhD Fellow Tobias Broich. Background A...
Just 13 years after the Millennium Summit of September 2000, the end of extreme poverty seems to be in sight. Some recent estimates say that the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG) was already reached in 2010 and that around 700 million people were lifted out of extreme poverty. In 2013, the World Bank declared a new goal, to end extreme poverty by 2030. The last two decades have witnessed unprecedented success, but will 2030 really mark the end of extreme poverty? In a new working paper, we...