THE BOTTOM BILLION (VIDEO)
PAUL COLLIER
MARCH 11TH, 2008

By Terry, April 17, 2008

“The Bottom Billion – Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It”
(March 11th, 2008, Sty-Wet-Tan Hall, UBC First Nation’s Longhouse)

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Global poverty is actually falling quite rapidly for about 80% of the world. The real crisis lies in a group of about 50 failing states, the bottom billion, whose problems defy traditional approaches to alleviating poverty.

Collier analyzes the causes of failure, pointing to a set of traps that snare these countries, including civil war, a dependence on the extraction and export of natural resources, and bad governance. If failed states are ever to be helped, the G8 will have to adopt preferential trade policies, new laws against corruption, and new international charters, and even conduct carefully calibrated military interventions.

In collaboration with the Liu Institute for Global Issues, UBC President’s Office, and the International Relations Student Association.