Published on Let's Talk Development

Friday Roundup: Ebola, R&D of Tropical Diseases, One-on-One with Kaushik Basu, the ADB Calls for a Rethink of the International Poverty Line, and the WEF's Global Risks Report

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Reuters reports that the number of new Ebola cases in West Africa is growing faster than authorities can manage them, and that the World Health Organization (WHO) is renewing a call for health workers from around the world to go to the region to help.

The Wall Street Journal's 'Corporate Intelligence' blog finds that R&D by pharmaceuticals on tropical diseases like ebola is on the rise. "Increased focus on tropical diseases [is] a mix of social responsibility and “strategic investment in the customers of tomorrow, given that the tropics are home to over 40% of the world’s population," writes Hester Plumridge.

Chief Economist Kaushik Basu recently participated in a one-on-one interview with Kenneth Rogoff at the World Economic Forum in Tianjin, Beijing. 

The Asian Development Bank recently published its 'Key Indicators for Asia and the Pacific 2-14,' saying "the $1.25 per day measure does not fully capture the extent of extreme poverty in the region. Three additional elements should be factored into the poverty picture: the cost of consumption specific to Asia’s poor; food costs that rise faster than the general price level; and vulnerability to natural disasters, climate change, economic crises, and other shocks.

The World Economic Forum recently launched its Global Risks Report.  Taking a 10-year outlook, the report assesses 31 risks that are global in nature and have the potential to cause significant negative impact across entire countries and industries if they take place. The risks are grouped under five categories – economic, environmental, geopolitical, societal and technological – and measured in terms of their likelihood and potential impact.  Read the report.
 


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