10% Less Democracy: Why You Should Trust Elites a Little More and the Masses a Little Less - by Garett Jones, 248 p. Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth and Power - by Noam Chomsky, edited by Peter Hutchinson, Kelly Nyks, and Jared P. Scott, 192 p. Today’s … Continue reading [Book Review]: Democracy, Less or More
[Book Review]: Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee by Shannon Lee
Bruce Lee, an iconic martial artist, instructor and movie actor, rose to international fame in the 1970s through films, including ‘The Way of the Dragon’, ‘Enter the Dragon’, and others. Although he died suddenly at age 32 in 1973, his legacy continues. As an Asian American, Lee faced racism and prejudice for being too Chinese … Continue reading [Book Review]: Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee by Shannon Lee
[Book Review]: Garbology and Junk Planet
Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash by Edward Humes, 336 pp. Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade by Adam Minter, 304 pp. Many countries began to feel the impact of the waste crisis when China in 2018 decided to ban 24 types of solid waste imports, including unsorted paper, textiles and others. Media coverage … Continue reading [Book Review]: Garbology and Junk Planet
[Book Review]: The Tyranny of Meritocracy: What’s Become of the Common Goods?
Fueled by the deep-seated anger over the growing gap in income and wealth, Americans voted for Donald Trump, and the British favoured Brexit. Many discuss the upsurge populist backlash from different perspectives such as racism, xenophobic demonization of immigrants, or globalization. Michael J. Sande, a distinguished professor and philosopher, takes a different approach, bringing the … Continue reading [Book Review]: The Tyranny of Meritocracy: What’s Become of the Common Goods?
[Book Review]: The New Urban Crisis: How Our Cities Are Increasing Inequality, Deepening Segregation, and Failing the Middle Class and What We Can Do About It
Questions about urbanization and inequality are long-standing. Some people move to the city searching for new job opportunities to earn more money, while others leave because they cannot afford the cost of living. This mirrors the invisible wall between the urban rich and urban poor which has quelled many concerns and debates on the urbanization … Continue reading [Book Review]: The New Urban Crisis: How Our Cities Are Increasing Inequality, Deepening Segregation, and Failing the Middle Class and What We Can Do About It
[Book Review]: Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes
People do not give much thought to how their clothes are made, shipped, and end up in their homes every day. The world’s appetite for fashionable apparel has grown exponentially in the last three decades from $500 billion in trade to $2.4 trillion. The key to this speedy growth is trends, sales and profits. The … Continue reading [Book Review]: Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes
[Book Review]: The Wisdom of Whores: Bureaucrats, Brothels, and the Business of AIDS
Billions of dollars have been spent on the fight against the HIV epidemic over the past decades. Yet, the grim fact is that these expenditures by development agencies failed. Part of the problem lies in the UN cookbook - the blueprint of fighting against HIV/AIDS, which bears little correspondence to the local context, argues Elizabeth … Continue reading [Book Review]: The Wisdom of Whores: Bureaucrats, Brothels, and the Business of AIDS
[Book Review]: The Secret World of Oil by Ken Silverstein
As energy demand rises, oil remains at the top of all energy consumption. Given its financial weight and political significance, countries are vying for deals to access their oil fields and guarding their energy security. But who are the actors behind these deals? Many studies on the oil industry are framed through the geopolitical, political … Continue reading [Book Review]: The Secret World of Oil by Ken Silverstein
[Book Review]: Poor Numbers: How we are misled by African development statistics and what to do about it
Countries are promoting the catch-phrases such as 'evidence-based policy', geared to deal with different public policy issues. Cambodia is not an exception. The Partner organizations have long been providing training courses to support the development of human capital and institutional capacity. They aim to equip government officials with the ability to draft policy based on … Continue reading [Book Review]: Poor Numbers: How we are misled by African development statistics and what to do about it
Working Paper (2020). Water Politics: The Future Prospects of Cambodia
Abstract: There is a considerable amount of hydropower dam development along the Mekong River. The rationale behind countries’ dam development is based on the premise that these provide long-term economic competitiveness, providing energy for the dams’ lifespans of fifty years or more (Cronin, Eyler & Weatherby, 2016). Despite this, the cumulative effects of cascade dams … Continue reading Working Paper (2020). Water Politics: The Future Prospects of Cambodia
