Global Envision | The Confluence of Global Markets and Poverty Alleviation

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A New Threat to Afghanistan

Afghanistan is facing a dangerous new threat, but it does not involve suicide bombers or roadside explosives.

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A Credit Bubble in Microfinance?

Credit problems in the Indian city of Ramanagaram hint of a broader microfinance credit bubble, says a recent Wall Street Journal article.

Day laborers waiting for work in Northern Virginia. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rev_bri/67351533/in/set-1264165/">rev bri (flikr)</a>

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Employed, But Not Respected

Working for less than the legal minimum wage. Pressured to not file workers' comp claims. Not receiving mandatory breaks.

Popular vacation destinations are ready to give tourists what they're looking for, all that's missing now are the tourists themselves. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mscolly/12990079/">Marvin (PA) (flickr)</a>

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Slow Summer Tourist Season Means Job Losses for Many

Ah, summer. A time of rest, relaxation, meticulously planned vacations ... and this year, less travel.

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Poverty isn't Always Ugly

Poverty isn’t always ugly. But it is always real. I recently visited the small village of Beru in the southwest corner of Haiti. For this slightly out-of-shape professor, it’s a hard day-and-a-half hike into the mountains northwest of Les Anglais.

Iraq's most lucrative export after oil - dates - has seen declining production since the American-led invasion began in 2003. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ikhlasulamal/3542981557/">Ikhlasul Amal (flickr)</a>

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Declining Dates in Iraq

The U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 and the subsequent violence has left the country struggling to survive. Now, Iraq’s economy is suffering even more due to declining production in one of its most thriving exports after oil: dates.

Women in SHGs spoke about bright futures for their daughters and want to work towards increasing the educational opportunities that are available to them in their village of Karauli. Photo: Carmina Rinker

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Beyond Savings and Loans

I recently returned from a study and service-leaning trip in India. While was there I traveled with a small group of Portland State University students and faculty, visiting several grassroots NGOs working with women's microfinance groups in Maharashtra.

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Farming Boom Goes Bust

After two boom years, The Wall Street Journal reports that the U.S. agricultural sector is expecting this year's profits to be below the 10-year average.

Young men install a new solar energy system on a residential house. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/smgerdes/3100607005/">Orngejuglr (Flickr)</a>

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Obama's Sunny Stimulus Succeeds

Slate Magazine's The Big Money recently profiled Namaste Solar, a Colorado-based solar panel company that is experiencing a nice boost from the Obama administration's economic

Ditch your car keys and tie up your laces. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/damiel/41670962/">Geir Halvorsen (flickr)</a>

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Fight Global Warming: Ditch Your Keys and TIe Up Your Shoes

Does your neighborhood influence your driving habits?

Working in China seems to be an attrative option for many American graduates Photo:<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/keso/494003749/"> flickr(keso) </a>

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Young Americans Look To China For Employment

How far from home will you go for a job? For some people, the answer is "pretty far."

The New York Times reports a rise in the number of recent college graduates traveling from the U.S. to China in search of a decent job.

Boxing is opening new doors for some Muslim girls from India. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/slack12/235528286/"> flickr(slack12)</a>

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Indian Girls Throw Punches at Poverty

An article in Friday's Wall Street Journal looks at how boxing is giving Muslim girls in India an alternative to their "practically scripted" life.

Afghan farmers holding up poppy pods in a field of poppy flowers. Photo: Mercy Corps

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Another try at reducing the Afghan poppy trade

The United States is dropping the stick and picking up the carrot in combating the Afghan poppy trade.

Thomas Benke (center) works with Sichuan Research Institute of Environmental Protection chemists and OFSSA staff to set-up the Gas Chromatograph. Photo: Courtesy of Thomas Benke.

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Sister(city)hood Goes Beyond Cultural Exchange

Four years ago, a petrochemical plant on the border of China and Russia spilled 100 metric tons of the toxic chemicals into a tributary of the Amur River.

A view of Chesapeake Bay from above. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/klebtahi/3284345862/">Crazy Diamond (flickr)</a>

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The Poisoned Waters of Chesapeake Bay

The Chesapeake Bay and Puget Sound are so polluted that they should be "put in the intensive care unit," according to a recent Frontline episode.

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