Global poverty and the new bottom billion: what if three-quarters of the world's poor live in middle-income countries?

This paper argues that the global poverty problem has changed because most of the world’s poor no longer live in low income countries (LICs). Previously, poverty was viewed as an LIC issue predominantly; nowadays such simplistic assumptions/ classifications are misleading because some large countries that graduated into the MIC category still have large numbers of poor people. In 1990, we estimate 93 per cent of the world’s poor lived in LICs; contrastingly in 2007–8 three quarters of the world’s poor approximately 1.3bn lived in middle-income countries (MICs) and about a quarter of the world’s poor, approximately 370mn people live in the remaining 39 low-income countries – largely in sub-Saharan Africa. This startling change over two decades implies a new ‘bottom billion’ who do not live in fragile and conflict-affected states, but in stable, middle-income countries. Such global patterns are evident across monetary, nutritional and multi-dimensional poverty measures. This paper argues the general pattern is robust enough to warrant further investigation and discussion

Abundance - A new window on how disruptive innovation occurs

The economic philosophy of abundance has provided a new portal to view disruptive innovation. After decades of the world's middle class shrinking and the poor becoming poorer the abundance concept has created an interest in the "Rising Billion" transforming the poor into a more viable economic force and grow a worldwide vibrant middle class throughout the developed, developing and underdeveloped world. The abundance concept provides a new set of potential problems that are spurring new opportunities. The 21st century grand challenges have been enumerated by many but include at least six key basic human necessities: healthcare; water, education; food generation, energy, and the environment. The key to "Abundance" is to better understand the disruptive innovation phenomena, and how it can be used for social change. Scholars have utilized different perspectives to explain innovation phenomenon, but literature on disruptive innovation can benefit from a coherent theoretical framework that can explain origins of disruptive innovation and the role of scarcity/abundance in that process. In this paper, we provide one such theoretical framework to better explain and understand the relationship among scarcity, abundance, and innovation concepts from a market perspective. More specifically, this paper address the need to understand how radical or disruptive innovations occur to create a more abundant world and what market conditions motivates innovators, especially in communities enduring poverty and scarcity of resources such as the "Bottom Billion" and the shrinking middle class to do so. We build a theoretical model of disruptive innovation in a resource-constrained environment by integrating arguments from the theory of social capital, disruptive innovation and entrepreneurial action, and social innovation

Speech at the National Press Club, Washington D.C.

During 2015-2016, research with 10 cotton varieties (lines 5136, 5140 and 5141, created at the Institute in Strumica and Bulgarian varieties Chirpan 539, Veno, Perla 267, Avangard 264, Colorit 409, Helius 288 and Natalia 361) was done in the agro ecological conditions of Strumica region. The aim was to study the biological and agricultural characteristics of cotton varieties.    The experiments were done in three repetitions following a randomized block system and with size of experimental field parcel to 14m2. All examined varieties in agroecological conditions in Strumica fall in medium early-matured varieties, with a vegetation period of 125-130 days. The lines belong to the group of early-matured varieties with a vegetation period of 116-118 days. The yields of the dry cotton in the years of research are from 2853 kg/ha at the Bulgarian variety Colorit, to 5158 kg/ha at the variety Veno. The highest randman from the domestic genotypes has the line 5141 (42,6%),  and from the Bulgarian genotypes Chirpan 539 (45,4%) and Helius 204 (43,8%)

Development and the G20

This publication examines what role the G20 can play in international development. Key findings: Development is a key component of the G20, but there are concerns over the effectiveness of the current development agenda. The criticism includes that the development agenda is too diffuse and mostly distant to the G20’s main activities. But the G20 development agenda has made progress in some important areas, including increasing the resources of the international financial institutions, infrastructure, food security, financial inclusion and reducing the cost of remittances. However development and global economic issues cannot be treated in isolation; development must be ‘mainstreamed’ and clearly seen as part of the G20’s core agenda. To the extent that Australia can help strengthen the G20 when it assumes the chair in 2014, and make tangible progress in such areas as - economic growth, financial regulation, trade, financial inclusion, infrastructure and climate change financing – it can make a significant contribution to promoting development and reducing poverty. Authored by Mike Callaghan AM, Annmaree O’Keeffe AM, Robin Davies, Susan Harris Rimmer , Steve Price-Thomas, Sabina Curatolo, Julia Newton-Howes and Michelle Lettie

Eliminating hunger and reducing poverty- Three perspectives: IFPRI 2006-2007 Annual Report Essay

"Reducing poverty and ending hunger seem to be becoming more difficult goals to achieve. Although the world is a lot richer today than it was a decade ago, the numbers of poor and hungry people are declining more slowly. Are new approaches needed to reduce poverty and hunger? The first Millennium Development Goal focuses attention on cutting the proportions of poor and hungry people in half by 2015, but what will become of the people not addressed by that goal—the other half left behind? The three essays that follow explore the challenges the world faces in reducing poverty and hunger in a sustainable way. In their different emphases—local, national, and global; economic and cultural; growth and social protection; traditional and new actors—the essays provide new views on what needs to be done now to reduce hunger and poverty faster." from TextPoverty reduction, Hunger, Poor Developing countries, Social protection, World food situation,

Trade and Procurement Reform in Poland and China: Responding to the Next Globalization Wave of Interdependent Economies

During the recent decades, China has achieved phenomenal economic growth - truly an unprecedented “development miracle”, as it is at times called.  Since the initiation of its reforms and an open door policy in 1978, China’s gross domestic product (GDP) has been consistently growing at an average annual rate ranging from 7-11 percent. In 2010, it has surpassed Japan and has become the world’s second-largest economy.   China's impressive sustainable economic growth coupled with pragmatic development policies and increasing integration into a global market make her a key player in the international trade arena.   China has an overall trade surplus not only with Poland and the US but also with many advanced and emerging economies of the world.  Over the period of the last decade, China’s exports and imports have been growing at a faster rate than the rate of world trade.   While China’s trade with the rest of the world has deepened, the structural and geographical patterns of its trade have also dramatically changed.  Most importantly, the share of imports by industrial countries accounted for by China has not only diversified but also has become more sophisticated.  Analysts and policy observers contend that the process of globalization will continue to accelerate and will in fact benefit China more than many other economies that are less export-oriented and less competitive.  Poland is still in the process of building a mature competitive and entrepreneurial market system, which China is in the process of perfecting.    Poland’s huge and growing trade imbalance with China is now posing an enormous challenge to the economic performance of the country buying more goods than it is capable to sell.  Sovereign debt of Poland, which also grows rapidly, poses a threat to its economy, while limited innovative solutions, such as creation of Special Economic Zones, (SEZ) are occurring at a rather slow pace in Poland in recent years.