Category: Baylee Konen

Question A

The struggle that is unique to Muslim youth in Europe is the divide of generations in their own families. Their parents, who were immigrants, were born in a complete Muslim Society where Islam was taught in all aspects of life (home, school, public sphere, etc.). Above all, it was accepted. The youth however, are natural born citizens of these European countries and view Islam very differently. They are the minority in Europe and that effects how they perceive their religion.

Muslim Youth identity manifests itself in many forms in Europe. However, because of this new social setting and that the Youth are growing up in a new culture, many young Muslims turn away from Islam to avoid discrimination: According to the book Islam: Europe’s Second Religion by Shireen Hunter, the youth see Islam as an “irrelevant vestige of the past that emphasizes their otherness,” And “this leads them to embrace secularism, eliminate Islam from their lives, and even ‘assimilate culturally to the host society’s ethos and prejudice”. These Muslims try to escape Islam from their identity but their ‘Muslim background’ and that of their parents is still discriminated against.

Another way the Muslim youth manifest their identity is to reaffirm it. These young people are in search for a ‘True Islam’. The roots of this identity are also from the discrimination they face in host countries. They feel rejected and a way to feel like they belong to something is by reaffirming their Muslimness. In the book Islam: Europe’s Second Religionby Shireen Hunter, the rejection from society young Muslims thus ‘takes the form of trying to strip away the varying cultural traditions that the first generation migrants have, rightly or wrongly assumed to be Islamic, from the ‘essential core’ of religion.”

These two Identities form because of the religious discrimination and social exclusion  young Muslims experience. Because they feel like they don’t belong, they are forced to find their own identies and deviate from the identities of their parents.

 

Question B

Assimilation, communitarianism and new modes of integration affect the reality in which the Muslim Youth experience.

According to the book Islam: Europe’s Second Religionby Shireen Hunter, assimilationists “tend to believe that Muslims should accept the totality of the cultural and political residence or citizenship” and Communitarians “prefer Muslims to form cohesive communities, which can then enter into systematic dialogue with state and society.”

These two views are complete opposites. Assimilationists choose to adapt to the host countries’ cultural and political spheres while Communitarians want to create a space for Islam in European societies. In my opinion, Communitarians advocate for a more inclusive and tolerable society and Assimilationists change themselves to fit into an oppressive society. The only comparison that I can find is both groups are advocating for a change in Islamic principles to fit a new society.

The reality of it is, however, that Muslim communities have adapted along the range of being assimilationist to communitarian. With concern to the Muslim youth, Hunter states in her book that they focus on “integration without complete assimilation.” Meaning that a society needs to have a little bit of both ideals to function efficiently.

 

Question C

In the article The Failure of Multiculturalism, author Kenan Malik discusses the diversity myth and how it affects multiculturalism.

The diversity myth is the false belief we as humans are different because of our ethnic backgrounds. In his article, Malik gives an example of a Muslim from Bangladesh and a White Brit who grew up in the same neighborhood in the U.K. He says that they, and society, may think they are different because of their ethnicities, but in reality they share many similarities.  This is the essence of the diversity myth. Because they grew up in the same neighborhood, that has more weight than their ethnic background.

Multiculturalism is the acceptance of all cultures. In his article, Malik proposes that Europe should “rediscover a progressive sense of universal values” to overcome the failure of multiculturalism. Assimilation is different, because this suggests that no progression occurs as new cultures are introduced to European society. Multiculturalism is overcome by acceptance.

Question D

The gist of the article Decoding Europe’s Homegrown Terror is that the reason for the recent terrorist attacks in Europe are not because Islam is a dangerous religion, but because of the discrimination the second generation Muslims have faced in Europe. Their loss of identity as a Muslim and their otherness has caused them to try to find their Muslim identity once again, and often the groups that are first to reach out are the radical ones.

Before I started this class, or attended this university, I would have disagreed with this article. I thought Islam was a radical religion and I did not have the knowledge or information to believe it wasn’t. But, during my time at this university I have learned about diversity and what it feels like to be in someone else’s shoes. And I can understand the point of this article now. If I was constantly discriminated against and excluded from society, I would be upset too. I can also understand how the lack of knowledge of Islam would produce radical beliefs. So, now, I agree with this article because I know how feeling like the ‘other’ can affect one’s beliefs in their place in society. We all need a place where we feel like we belong.

Question E

My concluding remarks on this blog post is we as humans are more divided than ever. In the U.S., it is shocking to see the 50/50 divide on some of the hottest issues. I still don’t understand the situation with Islam in Europe completely, and I will need to do more research on it to better understand. However, I have learned so much about Islam in this class and it has helped me better understand how Muslims, and minorities as a whole, are affected by discrimination in society.

 

Question A

In the article Islam and the West: Narratives of conflict and conflict transformation by Nathan C. Funk and Abdul Aziz Said, it discusses how the combination of intercultural confrontation and intercultural compatibility can lead to conflict transformation.

First of all, intercultural confrontation concerns the creation of the ‘other’ in Islam and Western relationships. All of the intercultural confrontation, or the hostility that we see, is created by a series of images: both the images that Americans hold of Muslims and Muslims hold of Americans. These images cause false stereotypes of each group and create friction between them.

According to the article , the ‘other’ has been constructed as “an inferior rival or shadow of the ‘self’ that has led to the dehumanizing stereotypes as well as to the habits of selective perception in which negative interactions are remembered while more positive
encounters are forgotten.” Do you see how this can be problematic? Such images as these have caused Islam-Western relationships to reach an all-time low and have cause violent attacks such as 9/11.

In an effort to change this hostility, intercultural compatibility works on focusing on the shared cultural values of Islam and the West. It is called the “second story” of intercultural compatibility. The article states “Because Islam and the west partake in common bonding cultures, they can coexist if a clash of symbols is not mistaken for a clash of substances. Preventing this cognitive error is possible, provided that the spokespersons for the Muslims and Westerners act to demystify conflicts and emphasize cultural commonalities while accommodating differences, and differentiate between constructive and destructive means of redressing grievances.” This, with the combination of changing the hostility of intercultural confrontation is how many academics say the two civilizations can get rid of the single story.

These two ideas lead to conflict transformation, the elimination of the single story and the elimination of the thought process of the people of Islam and of the West thinking that it is “us versus them”. By changing the images of each society and focusing on the cultural commonalities of Islam and the West, it will affect conflict transformation in a positive way and hopefully reduce the exclusion of Muslims in the West and the hostility of the West in the Islamic World.

Question B

According to the book Islam: Europe’s Second Religion by Shireen Hunter, Muslim integration into Italy is more of a return rather than a movement. Italy’s Islam integration differs from other countries in that they did not colonize the middle east. Additionally, the immigrants have a diversity of countries of origin, a rapid pace of entry and settlement, a higher number of irregular immigrants, and a higher level of geographic dispersion.

This, in turn, has created less problems in Italy in comparison to those seen in other European countries. Unlike in France, where most Muslims come from concentrated nations such as Algeria, Italy has many diverse nationalities in its Muslim population. Also, unlike in France, there are no Muslim ‘ghettos’ in Italy. This dispersion throughout the country has given Muslims less of an obvious foreign identity and has helped immensely.

In Italy, Roman Catholics have religious priority, however, other religious groups can file an ‘intesa’ with the Italian government to have their religion recognized by the state. The main issue for the Muslim community is that many of the immigrants are not Italian citizens and plan to return back to their country. This causes a lack of political power in the muslim community in Italy. Another factor is the use of Arabic as the principal of religious expression for Islam. This reinforces the sense of the alienation of Islam in Italy.

Question A

Chapter eight in the Book The no-nonsense guide to Islam by Ziauddin Sardar and Merryl Wyn Davies explains the historic foundation of the Jihadi fundamentalist movements.

After most countries gained independence in the 1950s, it was discovered that economic prosperity would not come as most citizens had hoped. Additionally, the rulers of the new Muslim states were not those who had fought for independence, rather they were westernized elites who had condemned traditionalist views and acted as surrogates for the past colonial powers. Consequently, all forms of tradition were suppressed in a traditionally inclined society.

From this suppression birthed the Jihadist fundamentalist movement in Afghanistan and Iran. The Jihadists in Afghanistan fought against the Soviets and the Jihadists in Iran fought in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. This is the beginning of the Jihadist movement. After fighting against oppressive powers, the Jihadists wanted to create and Ideal Islamic state.

In almost every Muslim country, militant fundamentalists are making their presence felt and calling for an Islamic state. They push for tradition and see western and modernized countries as a threat to Islam.  Their goal is to maintain the same standard of Islam as in the Medieval times. In the Islamic State, Islam and the state are one entity and cannot go without ine another.

 

Question B

Chapter eight in the Book The no-nonsense guide to Islam by Ziauddin Sardar and Merryl Wyn Davies briefly explain sharia law.

Sharia Law is God’s revelation. Literally, it means ‘the way’. Modern Sharia law has no connection with the Qur’an and virtually all Islamic states (those who enforce Islamic law) in contemporary times are authoritarian and oppressive. The Qur’an has few rules and regulations and says “there is no compulsion to religion”. Which, in the modern sharia law, this inherently contradicts.

The puritan fundamentalists are concerned with the crime and punishment of the all-ruling Sharia law. They call these laws as Hubud laws, or the outer limit of the laws. This is the maximum and most extreme punishment that can be given for a crime: This includes stoning adulterers and cutting off the hands of a thief.

 

Question C

From interpreting the readings, I don’t think Islamic law has always been consumed with punishment. In fact, I think muslims had many more freedoms in the past than they do today.  I think Sharia law is old law and is meant for personal use and should be interpreted according to personal opinion. The problem with institutionalizing sharia law is the strictest interpretation of it can become universal for all of Islam.

This, in my opinion, is when the fundamentalist perspective becomes the extremist perspective.  In my opinion, what has changed between new interpretation of sharia law and old interpretation of sharia law started with globalization. I think the introduction of new ideals and colonization completely flipped Islam upside down. Because of this, it birthed the extremist views we see today. It is the very harsh attempt to keep people in the past and preserve the Islamic culture. This consequently has caused people to become oppressed and flee from their countries.

 

Question D

Musawah means ‘equality’. According to their website, the musawah organization works on creating equality is Muslim families. Their key messages are “international advocacy” , “knowledge building”, and “capacity building”.

In knowledge building, they work on creating access to knowledge and create new knowledge about women’s rights in Islam. They apply the feminist lens to Muslim contexts. In capacity building, they build the voices of women leaders and push for an alternative understanding of Islam. In international advocacy, they work on strengthening regions and international visibility of the Muslim family. They work to fight against discrimination of Muslim women and the Muslim family.

My assessment of this association is that it is positive. They are attempting to recreate the world’s stigma of Islam while at the same time gifting back the rights to women who have lost them. I think this is a very progressive movement and have no doubt that it is making an impact in Muslim communities.  I think, however, that this organization is going to be hard to implement at all levels of Islam, especially where sharia law is active. Although, I do like that they are attempting to reinterpret laws so that they include equality for all people.

 

Question 1

Authors Zemni and Parker in Chapter 13 in the Book Islam: Europe’s Second Religion by Shireen Hunter claim that the “failure of Integration” of Muslims in Europe is at the cause of a divide of perceived values. The European values, or identities, are: tolerance, humanity, and fraternity and at the same time holding each country’s culture valid and true. An important thing to note about this is that the roots of these values came from Christianity, not Islam. In my opinion this is the great divider because a culture is an umbrella term for how societies are built; and one of the fundamental aspects of what builds a society is religion.  The feeling of an individual culture but a shared religion is the culprit of the issues of Islam immigration.

The European Identity came as a result of EU immigration: it is the identity that we live on one continent, therefore we are similar; but we are different in that We come from different countries and cultures. The idea that one can be German-European or Spanish-European lead to the construction of “Multicultural Europe”, and this is used against Islam immigration because Muslims do not fit into the mold of multiculturality. In other words, they don’t fit in.

For example, the eastern European country of Turkey has tried numerous times to join the European Union but it is constantly rejected because it’s values are not ‘European’. The EU claims that its views are universalist, but yet the ideological framework of the union is set up to exclude those even within their own continent.  According to the book, when Turkey wanted to join, the Union, in its discussion, said: “the Turks are not culturally up for it. In other words, the repressive and exclusivist practices of the Turkish state are not mere slips on the path toward the fulfillment of the European enlightenment project but a fundamental incomprehension of it.” To reinforce this point of European enlightenment, the EU used the addition of Eastern European countries (specifically the most economically robust ones) as a tool to obtain a universal and lovable reputation.

The silenced discrimination of Turkey has been an icon when it comes to the discrimination of Muslims in Europe. Since the 1970s, European lawmakers have seen Moroccan, Algerian, and Middle eastern immigrants as one identity: Muslims. This consequently has caused additional discrimination: It is like the people of Turkey when they asked for membership to the EU and they were seen as Muslims and not as Turks/European citizens. This begs the question: Why can’t one be a Muslim, a Turkish citizen, and a European citizen? This is because, for the EU, a European Identity means a Christian Identity. Because Muslims who immigrate to Europe do not convert to Christianity, they are seen as “unfit” or “the other” in European society.

Europe is Multicultural, but it is also historically Christian.

 

Question 2

My assessment of the Dispossessed is that we as Humans live in many different perspectives of the same world. I think the comic puts the situation in layman’s terms and proves the point of many different perspectives that I am trying to make. The different viewpoints of the crisis from the Refugee’s perspective and the Westerners perspective is vastly contrasted: The same place (Bodrum, Turkey) that refugees are being smuggled into Greece is the same place European tourists are vacationing.

The film really opened my eyes to this crisis because it showed real time footage of what is happening. After watching the film and reading the article, I am shocked that this is the first time I have ever been exposed to the refugee perspective. I have heard so much about the economic perspective, the political perspective, and the religious perspective on this situation in the United states. But, what about the humanistic perspective?

I think Western civilization uses Islam as a mask to treat refugees as objects rather than humans. Majority of the time I don’t think it is on purpose, rather it is the constant reinforcing of Islam as a dangerous and barbaric religion, and everyone who practices it represents terrorist groups. That myth is what Westerners believe to be true and this creates Islam as a representation of terrorism rather than a representation refugees fleeing from their war-torn homelands in search for a better life.

What significantly caught my attention in this film is that all who migrated were Muslim, but they were also humans in need of help. I think the humanistic perspective is one we can never forget.

 

 

Question 1

The historical background of Islam in France is a lengthy one. In the book Islam: Europe’s Second Religion by Shireen Hunter, it explains that the Muslim immigration to France was based on the relations between France and its old territories. In the 20^th century, during both world wars and periods of economic boom, France needed labor. Consequently, men from Islamic countries, primarily Algeria and Morocco, came to France to do the jobs that the French didn’t want to do. France, when the economy slowed down, expected most immigrants to leave. Many did, however at the same time many didn’t because of the fear of not being able to return back to France in the future.

In the past, Muslims fought for the French in wars and also aided in the country’s reconstruction. One particular group of Muslims, the Harkis, fought for the French in the War of Independence and were now traitors in Algeria and could not return. However, even though they fought for France, the French people did not welcome the Harkis or other Muslim groups back with open arms. Politically, France grouped the Harkis and other variations of Islam (Sunnis, Shi’ites, etc.) into one. This lack of understanding of the diversity of Islam caused the Muslims to be recognized as one group and therefore as “second class citizens” in France.

There is now a “ghetto” culture in France in that the unemployment rate for Muslims is more than double than the national average and because of this they have a significantly lower socioeconomic status. The discrimination Muslims have faced due to France’s generally non-religious atmosphere has affected them economically, and what fuels political and economic issues between Muslims and non-Muslims are these economic issues. Many of the Islamic communities are segregated from non-Muslim communities and live in large cities such as Paris and Marseilles. This has ignited the conflict between both the groups because the socioeconomic factors differ substantially.

Socially, it has been hard for Muslims to integrate into French society because France has a strict divide between church and state. Muslims expect the government to intervene and fight for their right to build mosques or create space for Muslim burial grounds: this is problematic because Muslims don’t realize that these things will never happen because it would require the government to make decisions with consideration of religion.

However, France is implementing “positive discrimination”, a kind of affirmative action toward young Muslims in an attempt to help the Muslim communities. This, hopefully, will aid younger Muslims into the labor market and give them a fair chance at a career.

 

Question 2

France has been a secular nation since 1905 when they passed a bill to separate church and state. According to the Book Islam: Europe’s Second Religion by Shireen Hunter, Muslims have had a hard time adjusting to France’s secularism, but also have created their own secular groups as some Muslims find a middle ground between Islamic and French culture.

The secular Muslims in France adhere to a secular ideology with antireligion intertwined with it. Secular Muslims push for westernization of Islamic culture and do not closely follow Islamic ritual. Rather, they participate mostly in major cultural celebrations of Islam. The secular Muslims are mostly intellectuals and fall on the left side of the political spectrum; or in other words, the socialist party.

Apart from the Secular Muslims, there are also many other political groups that have quite different ideals. There are absolute secularists, which of whom are minorities in the Muslim community, but believe in reinterpretation Islamic principles and being  Muslim with the framework of republican laws. Additionally, many Muslims are fundamentalists. They believe in strictly adhering to traditional Islamic principles and strict observance of all Islamic prescriptions with direct interpretation from the Qur’an. The fundamentalists are the least likely group to change their religious culture for the sake of another’s.

Question A

In his article  Muslims in Europe: A Short Introduction, Justin Vaisse discusses myths about Muslims and how’s these effect larger society.

Myth 1 says that “being Muslim constitutes a fixed identity, sufficient to fully characterize a person.”

Vaisse says that people wrongly associate Islam above all other social Identities a person has (social class, gender, etc.).  If a group of Muslims protested about human rights, they would be labeled Muslim protestors and not human rights protesters: Even if the protest had nothing to do with Islam and had everything to do with human rights. The first myth strips Muslims of their human identity.

Myth 2 says, “Muslims in Europe are, in one way or another, inherently foreign, the equivalent of visiting of Middle-Easterners who are alien to the ‘native’ culture.”

This is a myth, Vaisse says, because EU countries have had roots in Islam since the eighth century.

Myth 3 says “Muslims in Europe form a ‘distinct, cohesive, and bitter group.”

The reality of it is, Vaisse says, is that there are specific distinctions of origin between Muslims. Egyptian Muslims have different beliefs than Saudi Arabian Muslims.  There is also further separation between Muslims when it comes to socioeconomic class, political views, ethnicity, etc.

Myth 4 says “Muslims are demographically gaining on the ‘native’ population.”

This myth reinforces the others in the belief that Muslims are one group. One wouldn’t say that Catholics are one group because they are from a mix of countries and backgrounds. So, why would we think differently for Muslims? This is the essence of Vaisse’s argument.

 

Question B

It is hard as a Westerner myself to fully understand the rational between combining religion and politics as a society. However, to the contrary, societies have always been that way. We might have ‘religious freedom’ in the Constitution of the United States, but we still have many laws intertwined with Christianity. In my opinion, I believe abortion is a prime example of integrating religion into law. In the United states, it is important that we don’t cater laws to one specific religion, because that excludes everyone else.

 

With that being said, I would say it is essential that Islam is not confused with politics.  The Roman Catholic church has had heavy political power for centuries. Who is to say that Islam cannot?

The problem with this is that people associate Islam with bad politics: 9/11 and suicide bombers. This, in turn, creates discrimination against Muslims. It is important to make the distinction between Islam and the suicide bombers because not all Muslims are birthed out of terrorist groups. It is the generalization people make of Islam that causes discrimination. General remarks such as “all Muslims are terrorists” and “all Muslim women are oppressed” is the political speech that needs to stop.

 

I think most of the political discrimination Muslims face is birthed out of fear (see Islamophobia video above). It is the notion of “you are different from me; therefore, your way of thinking is wrong because I don’t agree with it.” And I think that is an important point to make: just because you don’t agree with someone’s views doesn’t mean you should be discriminatory against them and make laws that exclude them.

Question C

An example of a conflict between education and social rift in Europe is the ban on headscarves in schools in France. The headscarf ban was implemented in 2004 and one can be fined up to 150 euros if they violate this and wear a headscarf. This discrimination has further isolated the Muslim community.

Ramadan is a month-long period where Muslims focus on fasting, prayer, and introspection. Additionally, during this time Muslims are supposed to be more devout during this time; which includes wearing a headscarf. Because they are not legally able to, this creates conflict between the political and religious tension in France.

Ramadan suggests adjusting to the French rules for the month because Muslims are specifically directed during this time to not use fighting words or foul language. In the face of Ramadan, Muslims have had to adjust to not wearing headscarves and facing discrimination in the French community. In the face of France, Muslims continue to be isolated in the educational system and social rift continues.

Part A

1.

In the book Poor Economics by Banerjee, there are two very different perspectives on the effectiveness of aid in Africa. William Easterly did not believe aid was an effective practice because the initial problem is corruption and aid has led researchers to lower their ambitions.  This is an institutionalist view and that good policy making is not essential, but rather it is the sorting out of political processes. According to the book, only 13 percent of funds for schools actually reached the schools in Uganda. This is the type of corruption Easterly says is useless for aid because the money doesn’t go where it needs to anyway.

On the other hand, however, Jeffery Sachs says that governmental corruption leads to poverty traps. Poverty causes corruption and he says aid should be directed towards specific goals: Such as malaria control, food productions, safe drinking water, and sanitation. He says that by raising the living standards, civil society will become more empowered and therefore less likely to become corrupt.

In my opinion, I think Sachs argument is too optimistic because I think a corrupt government is human nature. The U.S. government structure works because it is built against the natural greed humans have. I think humans in general often make decisions that benefit them the most; therefore a government will always have corruption in it.  I think aid should go towards specific programs because it is most likely to have less temptation of greed. I don’t believe that we should not have aid at all, but we have to make sure that the money is going to the right hands.

 

2.

There is a lot of grey area when it comes to opinions and taking sides. However, in a New York Times article about  global poverty and expert Angus Deaton’s new book “The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality”. Deaton sides with both Sachs and Easterly in this argument, and makes a strong suggestion that foreign aid fails to erase poverty. Additionally, Deaton agrees with Sachs that government corruption plays a ginormous role in why aid fails.

I like Deaton’s argument because it provides a different perspective from the two extremes of Easterly and Sachs. Deaton claims that aid is a battle between two governments and when the donor governments provide aid, it has a slim chance of being used correctly by the receiving governments. He says that it is not a matter of lack of resources, but a matter of how we use them. If we use the aid for direct projects, Deaton says, aid will be more effective.

(source: https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/13/business/a-surprising-case-against-foreign-aid.html)

 

Part B

I believe Banerjee and Duflo, the authors of Poor Economics, address the issues of extreme poverty sufficiently because they back the issues up with research. At the beginning, they talk about the issues of the poverty trap and by the end they explain the effect of aid and micro funding. I personally like this book because of its structure: it explains what is the problem and ends with how do we fix it.

The policy measures that have seemed to work concerning both SDG goals one and two are written clearly in this book. I think perhaps the clearest method Banerjee and Duflo have presented is the policy of information. They have presented research from opposing sides on each side in every chapter: This makes it a very objective book and leaves the reader with needing to make a choice on what they believe.

The needs addressed in this book are clear: those living in extreme poverty need our help. But the book does not tell us how to specifically help them. I think the information is sufficient and it provides the reader with knowledge but it is not sufficient in a way that it leaves the reader knowing exactly what to do. I think what would help with this book is giving bullet points to the reader on how to take action; ones that would support both sides. But also because the issues addressed in this book are developing and current ones, it is becoming increasingly unclear on what we should do as a society at large.

Question 1

In their book Poor Economics, Banerjee and Duflo explain the arguments for and against Micro-credits. Micro-credits are defined as credits, savings, and insurance opportunities that are targeted at low-income people.

In the argument supporting micro-credits as beneficial, the authors give the example of Mohammad Yunus, the founder of the micro-finance organization Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. The bank gave the poor the opportunity to become entrepreneurs. The key word here is opportunity because many of the poor have the ability, just like any other human being, to become a successful entrepreneur. However, one of the main ingredients the poor are missing when it comes to success is opportunity.

The micro-finance organizations provide the ingredients to opportunity by providing cattle for farmers or providing literacy classes. From these tiny investments, the poor are able to end up with more business assets and more money. In my opinion, this would coincide with the poverty trap argument and that microfinance organizations are helping these people out of the “trap”.

On the opposing side of micro-credits, however, are two issues: the problems that many of the businesses operated by the poor are tiny and that they do not make that much money. The overall issue from this is that microfinancing might not be sustainable.  For example, the small business might look successful when it is in a small village, but it looks unsuccessful when every small village in a 5-mile radius has an identical business.

This thought leads to discouragement and only a short-run benefit. The truth is that the poor only own small businesses and it would be nearly impossible to see a mass exit of poverty from microfinancing.

Question 2

The micro credits in Malawi are mainly reserved for women. It is all about access in Malawi, and the microcredits give access to the country’s bank for the poor. The organization has satellite destinations in remote villages throughout the country so that access to loan repayment is made easy.

I think directing majority of the microcredits towards women is a great idea. In every single country in the world, women have less opportunity than men. This is true especially with impoverished communities. I think women raise and empower the next generation, they do not get nearly as much credit as they deserve. I think giving opportunity to the most vulnerable populations can be really beneficial. It is all about giving people a chance.

(source: http://www.thp.org/our-work/where-we-work/africa/malawi/microfinance-economic-activity-malawi/)

Question 3

Many of the microcredits are being used to fight hunger in Malawi. They are being invested in irrigation projects so that when the droughts come, there will not be a famine to come with it. Additionally, other projects using micro-financing are ones involving

livestock and petty trade.

(Source: http://www.thp.org/our-work/where-we-work/africa/malawi/microfinance-economic-activity-malawi/)

 

Question 4

Although countries like China and India have made tremendous progress in recent years, it is shocking to me how many countries are falling far behind the 1^st SDG goal of  ending extreme global poverty. The severely off track countries (SOTC) are mainly found in sub-Saharan Africa. I think the reason for them falling so far behind is because the countries are not getting the help they need.

In these SOTC countries, neither the top-down nor the bottom-up methods are working. What I mean by this is that the government bureaucracies are weak and corrupt (top-down) and most of the countries’ market systems run off of private markets (bottom-up). Therefore, those who want to help cannot do it by the same way western societies do: either changing the government bureaucracies or stimulating the market.

(source: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2018/02/13/the-road-to-ending-poverty-runs-through-31-severely-off-track-countries/)

This, in my opinion, is where the problem lays. I think developed countries want to help, but don’t know how and developing countries want help, but struggle in figuring out how to use the help. In the SOTC countries, there needs to be a way to help that caters to the individual needs of each village/country. Otherwise, I think trying to go from the bottom-up or the top-down will lead to the SOTC countries to keep falling father and farther behind.

Question 5

According to the World Bank, digital technology is being used in Africa to transform Africa’s food system. Digital technology entails anything that uses the internet or code, so, for example, it would be telephones, computers, machines,etc.

Digital technology is helping with agriculture in three ways

1. Helping farmer’s access to capital: They can now rent equipment by using their phones
2. It opens a new ecommerce platform: it allows the smaller players in agriculture to become integrated with the larger scale farmers.
3. It helps with food sustainability: Digital technology helps with providing information on land, soils and other resources so that they will be able to treat the land appropriately.

With hunger being a major issue in Africa, digital technology is making strides that could not be made before.

(Source:  http://blogs.worldbank.org/ic4d/how-can-digital-technology-help-transform-africa-s-food-system)

 

 

 

Part 1

a.

One Malawian Cheetah that I found Is William Kamkwamba. He was born in a small village in Malawi and he was forced to quit school at age 14 because he wasn’t able to afford it. That, however, did not stop Kamkwamba and he had a vision to bring electricity and water to his small village. In Malawi, only 2 percent of citizens have electricity.

Since he did not have the resources to go to school, Kamkwamba took his education to the local library and educated himself through spending hours and hours reading textbooks. The turning point in Kamkwamba’s life was when he found a book on how to make electricity through windmills and how to pump water from them. From there, he scavenged metals and other materials for the windmill in the village’s trash.

 

After completing his makeshift windmill, locals immediately lined up to charge their mobile phones. Because of his drive and ambition, Kamkwamba is now a trademark for human potential. He is part of the “Cheetah” generation and represents the group as a young person who is changing the continent.

The use of electricity in Malawi will now help more citizens become connected through the internet and will bring potential to advance technology in Malawi. Additionally, the ability to now pump water into the village will work as a mechanism against hunger. The water will prevent droughts and therefore starve off deadly droughts.

(Text Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8257153.stm)

 

b.

According to chapter six in Radelet’s book Emerging Africa, there are three key developments in the shift to a healthy democratic government:

1. There is a clear shift away from the politics of the individual Big Man toward the institutionalization of power and adherence to basic rules of the game.
2. There have been substantial improvements in the extent to which civil liberties and political rights are honored and enforced.
3. There has been significant growth in a range of civil society groups, non-governmental organizations, “watchdog groups” , and other voices aimed at monitoring government actions and accountability.

As far as a definition of democracy, there is no universally accepted definition. However, there are universally accepted indices in which democracies are ranked. The most popular indices are the Freedom in the World index, which focuses on political and civil liberties, and the Polity TV index, which focuses on less judgement and more on the characteristics of political authority.

In Freedom of the World Index, my country, Malawi, is ranked partly free. It has a score of 64 out of 100 and is partially free because of the Cashgate corruption scandal in 2015. Because of this, many international donors cut off funds. The corrupt president is still in power because of a slow prosecution process.  (source:https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2016)

In the Polity IV index, Malawi ranks as a democracy with a rating of 6. This is on the lower end of the democracy rating and is close to being to an open Anocracy, which is rated 1 to 5 . However, Malawi is one of the countries doing the best in Africa and is one of the few that is an official democracy. So in Africa’s terms, Malawi Is doing well. The only rank above Malawi would be a Full Democracy, which is a rating of 10 and is seen mostly in western countries. (Source:http://www.systemicpeace.org/polity/polity4.htm)

 

Part 2

According to chapter three of Poor Economics by Banerjee and Duflo, effective health investments are those that may be forced upon people at first, but in the end benefit a population at large.

If we look at the U.S., for example, a child cannot enter the public school system without first receiving vaccinations. This is a required practice in the United States and it benefits the whole population because it prevents children from getting potentially deadly diseases.  This in turn prevents children from missing school. Another health investment the U.S. has made is insurance companies rewarding customers for going to the gym. Because , otherwise, they probably wouldn’t go.

In Africa, where there are no regulations for vaccines or rewards for doing something good for your health, Banerjee and Duflo suggest that we should put regulations like these in place.  The authors call it the “low hanging fruit”, the easy and preventable measures that can be taken to improve public health. Things such as rewarding mothers for vaccinating their children and providing deworming medication in school lunches would help reduce school absences and child mortality in Africa.

These are effective health investments.

 

Part 1

a.

The “cheetah’ and the “hippo” generations in Africa are essentially the clash of Ideals; the battle between those who want justice and those who control it.

The “Cheetahs” are the younger generations of Africans who are pushing for change. They are progressive and want a democracy and social equality. They push against the hippos and push for rapid change.

The “hippos” are those who currently hold power in Africa: They are the ruling elites and they are the ones who benefit from the status quo. They want to keep Africa the way it is and push against the motives of the “cheetahs”.

For one to see the differences, it is as clear as day. Many of the “hippos” view a democracy and civil society as the way it is now because they are the ones benefiting from it. The “Cheetahs” see today’s governmental systems as oppressive and as only benefiting the rich few. For these reasons, the “Cheetahs” want change and the “hippos” do not.

b.

In Steve Radelets “Emerging Africa: How 17 Countries are Leading the Way”, he explains that, due to the introduction of technology in Africa, there are greater economic opportunities, more jobs, greater financial networking, and increasing transparency and accountability. Technology is improving the African economy in every aspect: agriculture, manufacturing, immigration, banking, and tourism.

Perhaps the even more beneficial part of the introduction of technology in Africa is that is sustainable:

“They (technologies) clearly were not major contributing factors to the economic and political turnaround that swept across the emerging African countries in the early and mid-1990s. But they have had a huge impact in sustaining the progress in recent years. Most important, they are critical for continuing to expand economic opportunities, information flows, and political accountability in the future,” Radelet said.

Challenges still lay ahead, however, because the cost of coverage is still high. The cost of Internet is 20 to 40 times higher in Africa than it is in the United States. However, Radelet explains there are projects being done; such as installing undersea cables on the east coast of Africa. Therefore, if these projects are completed and the cost of coverage is lowered to a sustainable amount, I believe it has the change to make a long-term impact.

Part 2

In the book “Poor Economics”, the authors Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo describe a poverty trap as “Poor countries that are poor because they are got, infertile, malaria-infested, often landlocked; this makes it hard for them to be productive without an initial large investment to help them deal with these endemic problems. But they cannot pay for the investments precisely because they are poor- they are in what economists call a ‘Poverty Trap’”.

There is a huge debate about whether poverty traps exist or not, but it originally roots from the problem that a free market does not serve the poor. Since a free market economy does not give the opportunity to those who didn’t have it in the first place, there will be no way for them to rise above poverty and those “trapped” will fall further and further behind.

Some experts say that if there were tiny investments made each year by the poor citizens  towards, for example, agriculture, it would lead to a larger investment and continue to eventually lead the farmer out of poverty. However, other experts who believe there is a poverty trap believe that maybe if there was an investment of, for example, fertilizer, to improve the yield of a farmer’s crop, the fertilizer might only be sold in bulk. If that is so, there would be no opportunity for an initial small investment and therefore there would exist a poverty trap.

On a smaller scale, I was given Malawi as my country to analyze for this blog post. The poverty traps in my given country are poverty, AIDs, and hunger.

On the World Bank’s site, in regard to the first goal of SDG, there seems to be little data. However, as recorded in 2010, the poverty headcount ratio was at 50.7. Meaning that 50.7 percent of the population is living in poverty.

Human Capital in Malawi still needs work: It has the “same portion of the total population in elementary school as it did in 1911.”, according to the World Bank.  On top of that, there are not efficient school supplies to educate Malawi students, as the average Malawi student has half the level of reading skills as a student in North America. One of the main causes of this divide is due to the constant health issues that lead to low attendance; over half of the students report having Malaria, one in four with Bilharzia and one in ten with hookworm. Because of this, a Malawi student’s chance of reaching secondary school is three out of one-hundred. (Source:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/210611468773058337/The-evaluation-of-human-capital-in-Malawi)