One of the few economists who won the Nobel Peace Prize is Muhammad Yunus, a Bangladeshi who invented the concept of microcredits. What is it about?
Usually, it is very difficult for poor people to receive credits from banks. Their creditworthiness is considered low, as they have no collateral and little resources to make up for possible losses. Yunus believed, however, that poor people have good business ideas, and he did not doubt their seriousness to pay back the money. In the late 1970’s, he visited the poorest families in a Bangladeshi village calle...
ISET Economist Blog
A blog about economics in the South Caucasus.
Apr
18
Apr
14
Imagine arriving at a provincial airport in an unnamed Central Asian country. You leave the terminal and go straight to row of waiting taxis. In your Lonely Planet you read that you should pay about $10 for what is a short taxi ride to the city center. You ask the first taxi driver and are quoted a fantasy price of $50. You try to bargain, to no avail. You go to the next taxi, and once again you are quoted $50. You finally go to the third taxi, and lo and behold, it’s the same price, $50. And you don’t even try to bargain anymore…
Now, imagine this to pl...
Apr
11
After many years on the back burner of policy discussion in Georgia, issues related to agriculture and rural development now seem to be at the forefront of debate. And for good reason, as these issues are incredibly complex and have important implications, not only for those residing in rural areas but also for those purchasing agricultural products in towns and cities.
Yet we still have much to learn about agriculture and rural development in Georgia and many questions remain, especially from a policy perspective. Are vouchers for those working in the a...
Apr
07
According to a rumor circulating among economists, there exists an econometric study which shows that the economy of a nation is doing worse the more great economists it produces. While this may be a myth, casual observation suggests that the correlation between the economic performance of a country and the quality of its economics profession is indeed unclear. The United Kingdom was home to the greatest economists of all times (Adam Smith, John Maynard Keynes, and David Ricardo, to name just a few), yet throughout great parts of the 20th century, the Br...
Our Partners
