The South African Civil Society Information Service
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
A nonprofit news agency promoting social justice. Seeking answers to the question:
How do we make democracy work for the poor?
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The opening morning session of the World Economic Forum traditionally focuses on the "Global Economy." This year the forum is taking place in Davos from 29 January to 1 February 2009. The session is convened by Michael Elliot, the editor of Time International. On the opening panel this year were Trevor Manuel, Finance Minister of South Africa; Justin Yifu Lin, Senior Vice President and Senior Economist at the World Bank; Ferit F. Sahenk, Chairman, Dogus Group, Turkey; Heizo...
The World Economic Forum is taking place from 28 Jan to 01 Feb 2009 in Davos, Switzerland. From most reports, it sounds like a gloomy event where some of the chief culprits behind the global financial crisis are gathering for their annual hobnob. This time round, some navel gazing is anticipated. Pablo Camacho won the 2009 YouTube Davos Debates competition that posed the question: Should CEOs have a code of ethics? This clip is his winning entry. Winning the competition has given...
An excerpt from the documentary Health for Sale, which poses the question: "Are the world's largest drug companies, paradoxically, major obstacles to making a healthier world?" The ten largest pharmaceutical companies form the so-called "big pharma." They control the world's pharmaceutical market. In 2004, global spending on prescription drugs amounted to five hundred billion dollars. In 2002, big pharma's overall profit amounted to 35.9 billion dollars....
Maurice Carney of Friends of the Congo contends that corporate interests drive all decision-making in Congo. Quoting from research conducted by the International Rescue Committee and NGO Global Witness, Carney names American and Canadian companies involved in the plunder of Congo. The IMF and World Bank are also implicated in reports that reveal how their conditional loans further exacerbate the conflict and the suffering of the Congolese people. Nita Evele of Congo Global Action sheds light...
Author of the book, "American Raj," Eric Margolis argues that Hamas is regarded by US-backed governments in the Middle East as a threat. These states tend to be monarchies, dictatorships and oligarchies that do very little for their people, while Hamas delivers a revolutionary message against corruption, he says. Margolis contends that there was a collusion between the United States, israel, Egypt and Britain to lock up Gaza, put it under siege and try and crush the life out...
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is seeking a third term in office. Polls show that a majority support his seeking a constitutional change so he can run for president again in 2012. While some see this as a threat to democracy, others argue that developments in Venezuela highlight the difference between participatory democracy and representative democracy. Practiced in Venezuela, participatory democracy has opened up a new dimension of politics in which communities, communal power and unions...
