Africa: China in Africa – Investment and Trade Work Well When There’s Strong Oversight, and Badly When There Isn’t

Africa: China in Africa – Investment and Trade Work Well When There’s Strong Oversight, and Badly When There Isn’t

China’s economic footprint in Africa has grown fast over the last two decades. Across the continent, Chinese-backed mines, oilfields, railways and industrial zones have gone from being ambitious projects to central pillars of national development plans. This has been made possible by over US$181 billion in infrastructure loans and about US$50 billion in foreign direct…

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Africa: China in Africa – Investment and Trade Work Well When There’s Strong Oversight, and Badly When There Isn’t

Africa: Public Healthcare and Contracting Out – Can It Work? Global Review Presents Some Answers

Universal health coverage – ensuring everyone can get quality, affordable healthcare when they need it – is one of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. But progress towards meeting this target has been elusive, especially in developing countries. In recent years, existing weaknesses in public health systems have been magnified by the COVID pandemic,…

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A million reasons monopolies don’t work

A million reasons monopolies don’t work

Vumatel has crossed one million fibre subscribers. It’s a hugely significant milestone for the Maziv-owned operator, but the number matters less for what it says about one company than for what it reveals about the transformative power of competition in South Africa’s telecommunications sector. To appreciate just how far we’ve come, consider the comparison with…

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Google’s work in schools aims to create a ‘pipeline of future users,’ internal documents say

Google’s work in schools aims to create a ‘pipeline of future users,’ internal documents say

Newly filed internal documents show how Google viewed its work with schools as a way of turning children into lifelong customers — while the company simultaneously acknowledged research suggesting that YouTube, one of Google’s main platforms, can be unsafe and distracting. In a 2018 presentation, one slide noted that the public sees YouTube as problematic…

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