Monday, August 04, 2008

Entrepreneurship | Spreading the gospel | Economist.com

Another example of using entrepreneurship and market forces as tools for global development.

I highlight this example and examples such as Digicel not to discredit more traditional forms of development (although those models could use a re-working), but to illustrate that developments needs a portfolio approach.

There is no one model (for-profit or non-profit) that can help raise people out of poverty. Rather it takes the efforts of many different organizations, with different goals and motivations to really raise the lot of the global poor. For too long perhaps we have focused on the non-profit model and it is now clear that some of the most exciting thinking is coming out of the for-profit world.

From anti-globalist to globalist cheerleader

I wrote earlier that Brazil's economy has improved because of its anti-globalist nature... meaning that much of Brazil's growth has been powered by its relatively insular market and strong internal consumption.

That may be true of the past, but Brazil needs a strong globalized system in order to grow in the future.

But Brazil’s ethanol-fueled economy may have hit a rough patch. The country’s stock market went into bear territory this week, falling 20 percent from its recent high. The collapse of the Doha world trade round has put the brakes on Brazil becoming a major exporter of agricultural products to the United States market. Meanwhile, a drop in oil and metal prices could send the country’s economy into a tailspin.

Can Brazilian M&A Stay Hot?

All this probably explains why Lula is so keen to restart the failed Doha talks.