whythawk ratings: measuring effective development

1. The errors of selection and confirmation bias
(Analysis/Analysis)

...lf, I consider it our role to inform and to hold leaders to account, not to be like the parents of children learning how to walk for the first time and applauding their every misplaced step. South A...

2. Ending poverty means abandoning charity and accepting reality
(Analysis/Analysis)

...forming aerial acrobatics around you. In the short term the crawling should result in a reward. A society learning how to work on its own must set itself meaningful goals that are of immediate value...

3. South Africa's two tiers
(Analysis/Analysis)

...he top are getting richer faster than those at the bottom. Since 1994 legislation has made the expense and learning-curve of joining the formal sector tougher. Minimum wage laws and labour complianc...

4. Nigeria, or the idiots guide to stealing an election
(Analysis/Analysis)

... election. "It has massively expanded the vocabulary of Nigerians," he laughs. "Everyone is learning new words: the election was a 'charade', it was 'fraudulent'. Eve...

5. One Laptop Per Child, now costing 75% more ...
(Analysis/Analysis)

...open-source nature of the XO has blinded many with the belief that this is somehow easy for others, but the learning curve for Linux is severe.  The XO's toy-box case hides a very sophisticat...

6. Unlearning helplessness: how donors reinforce poverty and dependency
(Analysis/Analysis)

"Well, something is better than nothing," said the well-dressed man at the charity launch function. "No it isn't. You're making the assumption that the recipients of corporate

7. Aggregation and collaboration: a guide to making money and doing good in poor nations
(Analysis/Analysis)

...s.  There is no reason to suppose that successful firms here shouldn’t be able to transfer these learnings into profitable ventures in India and China. And all of this benefits the poorest...

8. X Challenge: Develop the cheapest most effective school
(Analysis/Analysis)

... same principles?  Taking exactly the opposite route is Oprah Winfrey and her astonishingly overpriced Learning Academy1 catering to a microscopic number of kids.  At $ 7 500 per year this ...

9. Why Use Whythawk
(Static Content)

Without health, people do not have the energy to learn.  Without learning, people cannot have aspirations.  Without aspirations, people will not demand the products that only businesses can