TWO NEW REPORTS

How much of underdevelopment should be blamed on rich countries, and to what degree should developing nations take the responsibility? Clearly colonialism and the policies of richer countries have contributed greatly to the underdevelopment of the South, but I tend to stress the need for developing nations to take charge of their own futures. Good policies, good institutions, and investments in health and education of the people seem to me to be fundamental to development, and developing countries should lead in creating these conditions for themselves.

Still, seeing these two reports this morning made me think.

I think that it is clearly true that agricultural protectionist policies of Europe and Japan (agricultural subsidies, trade barriers) are having a grave negative impact on developing nations’ economies, and that the barriers to use of genetically modified crops are more the result of this protectionism than of any rational assessment of their risks.

The Use Of Genetically Modified Crops In Developing Countries
This is an update of an earlier report by a panel of experts convened by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. It makes the case that ethically, developing countries must be allowed to utilize biotechnology to increase agricultural productivity in order to improve food security. While the report recognizes the importance of appropriate regulatory regimes, it also notes that trade barriers imposed by developed countries on imports of recombinant materials should be changed.

War costs a lot in development terms, and I recently read that one in eight countries is currently at war. Rich countries profit most from the export of arms, and the international arms trade is not a help for development.

Small Arms Survey
The 2003 edition of the Small Arms Survey presents the most complete assessment of the spread of small arms around the world and their effect on society. Stressing the link between small arms and global development, it includes special chapters examining the role of small arms in Africa (Congo), the Arab world (Yemen) and the former-Soviet Union (Georgia).

How do these reports relate to the topic of this blog, “Knowledge for Development”? Well, the controversy over biotechnology is clearly limiting the application of advancing knowledge from the biological sciences to improving agricultural productivity and food security in developing nations. Moreover, good reports like these, making vetted knowledge widely available on important development issues is a good step forward!