Reducing Distances - Removing Barriers

the use of ICT in building global awareness amongst young

Europeans

What do we mean by economic development?

• is it simply GDP per person?

• or should we look at a wider interpretation?

• what of access to clean water

• what of access to elementary education

• or calorie intake

• let’s broaden awareness of the fundamentals of poverty

Why not look at World Bank Human Development Index?

• it takes into account other variables which include access to clean water, literacy and health provision

• more informative in an analysis of poverty and its causes

• then researches ways of generating economic wealth

• then researches the forms of civil society that would make distribution more likely

Some sites to visit-general information on development

• www.worldbank.org/poverty/mission

• www.empowerment@worldbank.org

• www.worldbank.org/wd2002.

• www.imf.org– This site gives information in English, French

and Spanish

• other sites available on request

Other issues

• fair trade

• human capital

• micro loans

• capital flows

• civil society

• the labour market of the future

• aid

Other issues - 2

• debt

• big business

• intellectual property rights

• ICT developments

• arms and super power involvement

• the effects on indigenous cultures

Fair trade

• what do we mean?

• farming subsidies

• customs unions

• super power politics

• employment protection - in developed economies

• employment generation in developing economies

Power in the market place

• what do we mean by power?

• how is it achieved?

• how is it kept?

• growth of MNC’s

• link of aid to trade

• influence in domestic politics

Why is global trade increasing?

• the search for new markets

• the desire to gain lower cost bases

• the need to build economies of scale and other efficiencies

• securing markets in strategic locations

• standardisation of products/tastes

• eradication of trade barriers

Global trade - 2

• need to achieve and maintain competitive advantage

• BUT - what of standards of employment?

• health

• waste control

• tax and civic responsibilities

• transfer pricing

Global trade - continued

• are we seeing a global culture emerge?

• logo inflation

• sponsorship of cultural events

• branding of sport

• branding of youth culture

• branding of identity politics

Global Trade - 3

• Why not visit:– www.mcsotlight.org– www.guardian.co.uk/globalisation– www.corpwatch,org– www.nosweat.org uk– www.resist.org.uk– the work of the Danish Human Rights Centre

Human capital

• what is it?

• how do we add value to individuals?

• should we leave this to skills transfer?

• how can young people help?

• labour v capital intensive

• foreign exchange costs

Some sites that look at human capital

• www.earthscan.org.uk – low cost added value schemes

• www.res.org.uk– the official site of The Royal Economics

Society, which has a large section on developing human capital.

Micro loans

• what are they?

• use in rural and urban economies e.g Vietnam, India and South Africa.

• use with women only banks

• revolving credit and the multiplier effect

• added value

Capital flows

• what influences foreign direct investment?

• where is it going?

• what should it be directed towards?

• main contributors

• main recipients

• where does the profit go

Civil Society

• increasing importance of:– accountability– involvement– transparency– lack of awareness amongst my own students as

to the development of their own civil society

Civil Society - some sites - 1

• www.brettonwoods.org – promotes accountable government

• www.Christian-aid.org– a UK based charity that views development from a

non-political stance

• www.digitaldivide.org– an organisation that promoted responsible use of

modern technology to boost accountable development

Civil Society site - 2

• www.jubilee2000uk.org– the umbrella organisation behind the campaign to

reduce debt and other market irregularities

• www.oneworld.net– a portal that has information in a number of

languages

• www.sewa.org– an Indian based organisation that specialises in the

rights of women

Civil Society - 3

• www.developmentgap.org– an organisation that specialises in work directed at

closing the gaps between rich and poor.

• www.twnside.org– a Third World network that represents many

organisations working in development slcgg

• www.orgg.sl– the organisation run by Zainab Bangura in Sierra

Leone

The labour market of the future - an EU perspective

• increase in global trade

• increase in job dynamics

• dismantling of social exclusion

• building of skills bases that cross countries and continents

Labour Market - 2

• ubiquitous learning environments

• wireless connections

• collaborative learning

• knowledge based economies

• new ways of examining competence

Aid

• types

• strings attached

• what should be its role?

• biggest givers

• largest receivers

• again what of arms

• import substitution v export promotion

Aid - 2

• some useful sites:– www.jusbiz@nead.org.uk– www.aidindia.org.in– www.tradeaid.ork– www.infousaid.org

Aid - 3

• data bases:– www.dsv.su.se - Swedish site– www.oecd.org– www.unicef.org– www.dfid.gov.uk– www.psi-usa.com

• The Virtual Developing Economy - game. Please ask for information on other games and simulations

Big business - 1

• implications for MNC/Fair Trade debate

• advantages v disadvantages

• sustainable development?

• sites

• www.pg.com– Proctor and Gamble

• www.Oxfam.org/– fair trade and strategies towards global responsibility

Big Business - 2

• more sites which may be of interest:– www.cleanclothes.org– www.labourbehindthelabour.org– www.nikebiz.com– www.reebok.com– www.neweconomics.org– getglobal@actionaid.org.uk

Intellectual property rights

• growing importance

• examples of Cocoa in Ghana and Basmati rice in India

• where could this be going?

• what type of controls do we want?

Conflict Resolution

• new area for education

• blood diamonds

• drug trafficking

• break down in nation states

• new global order

• new global problems

Some useful publications

• BBC World Service

• Washington Post

• India Today

• Jeune Africa

• Times of India

• West Africa

• Nairobi Times

Some useful Agencies

• FAO - Rome• OECD - Paris• UNDP - Geneva• UNICEF - Paris• World Food Programme on www.wfp.org• Danish Agency for Development Assistance• Swedish International Development Co-operative

Agency

Some topics for discussion

• how to engage young people in collaborative learning programmes?

• how to encourage exchanges of knowledge?

• how to inform about the reality of lives in developing countries?

• the use of games and simulations

• what kind of world do they want?

Discussion - 2

• developing our role as facilitators

• how will education be delivered?

• can we reduce barriers and the distances between us?

• does more unite us than divide us?

• developing global citizenship

Further Information

• john_birchall@bsc.biblio.net

• Africa - an overview

• Case Study on Sierra Leone plus questions and in-class topics

• A personal reflection on Sierra Leone

• A brief economic history of the world post world war two

Thank you