Sunday, May 07, 2006
Appropriate Technology
The idea of Appropriate Technology (AT) is strange. It comes in handy when making a case for open-source software in developing nations! My prof of political economy was saying that since labor is the abundant factor in developing countries (in opposition to capital), then AT should be labor-intensive. I never really questioned this assertion before now. What if the population is affected by a high HIV prevalence rate? Then... Shouldn't it be labor-saving? This is yet another instance in which I found myself using academic words that I don't fully understand.
Thanks to ECMB06 - Intermediate MacroEconomics, now I recognize the HIV AIDS pandemic is silimar to an adverse IS curve shock in the Mundell-Fleming model. Which means : it is the exact same kind of phenomenom as the Great Depression. The dire fall in global ouput has (and probably will again because of the structural adjustement programs) been aggravated by a cut in government spending. This is disturbing; economists want to let people think that there will not be anything like the Great Depression again. I think it's just taking another form.
If you're interested in the economics of HIV AIDS, there is an amazing scholar named Joan Parker (thanks to Al for letting me know about her!) that writes about it. You can find two pieces of her work here : the overall issues paper and a paper on microfinance and HIV.
Thanks to ECMB06 - Intermediate MacroEconomics, now I recognize the HIV AIDS pandemic is silimar to an adverse IS curve shock in the Mundell-Fleming model. Which means : it is the exact same kind of phenomenom as the Great Depression. The dire fall in global ouput has (and probably will again because of the structural adjustement programs) been aggravated by a cut in government spending. This is disturbing; economists want to let people think that there will not be anything like the Great Depression again. I think it's just taking another form.
If you're interested in the economics of HIV AIDS, there is an amazing scholar named Joan Parker (thanks to Al for letting me know about her!) that writes about it. You can find two pieces of her work here : the overall issues paper and a paper on microfinance and HIV.
