Planning

The importance of the quality of governance in Africa.

Highly organized groups in society use the regulatory process to further their own interests at the expense of the general interest.

Is government action the best means of reducing discrimination, or do free markets produce better outcomes for those who may be discriminated against?

Economic privilege is a powerful barrier to economic freedom and the prosperity it brings.

Private markets may not provide perfect outcomes but government attempts to improve on the situation usually produce even worse results.

There are two possible ways of coping with a changing climate. One is by government regulation and planning and the other is through market processes.

The abuse of political power for private benefit is profoundly unjust to the poor and other honest citizens. Singapore and Estonia are examples of two countries who have tackled the blight of corruption by promoting economic growth.

Government price controls on goods and services prevent prices from balancing supply and demand and create shortages or surpluses, depending on whether they are set above or below those that would have prevailed in a free market.

Can it be that private schools for the poor in developing countries offer ‘cheaper and better-quality alternatives to State provision’?

Economists agree that rent controls, which limit the price that a landlord may charge a tenant, cause a shortage of housing.

Private schools for the poor are springing up in great numbers in Africa and Asia and signal the urgent need for a rethink on the provision of education in developing countries.

One of the greatest challenges for societies is how to make the best use of all the knowledge that exists. One way to approach the issue is through central planning by the state and the other is with dispersed planning through free markets.

Post colonial African progress has been held back by catastrophic failure of leadership and total government dysfunction.

More than a billion people lack access to clean and safe water, and 2.6 billion are without basic sanitation facilities. According to the World Health Organisation, water-related diseases cause 80% of all illnesses and deaths in the developing world - with water-related diarrhea alone causing just under 2 million deaths.