This is a big year for the development industry. In September, the world’s heads of state will gather in New York City to decide on…

Posts published by “Jason Hickel”
Having spent the first half of his life in Swaziland, Jason earned a doctorate at the University of Virginia and now holds a fellowship at the London School of Economics. His research focuses on development, globalisation and labor, with an emphasis on Southern Africa. He lives in constant fear of being sniffed out for his counter-revolutionary penchant for bourgeois wine and jazz. Follow him on Twitter @jasonhickel.
International development is dying; people just don’t buy it anymore. The West has been engaged in the project for more than six decades now, but…
The received wisdom comes to us from every direction: poverty rates are declining and extreme poverty will soon be eradicated from the face of the…
It is always a bit surprising to hear an economist described as a “rock star” in the media, but Thomas Piketty has been collecting this…
One of the problems with neoliberal economic policy is that it’s tough to get countries to agree to it; especially democratic ones. It has often…
Transparency International recently published their latest annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), laid out in an eye-catching map of the world with the least corrupt nations…
“Free trade”. The term itself is a trap — a brilliant framing device that neatly neutralises opposition. If you take a stand against free trade…
The idea of international development aid lies at the heart of a tremendously successful PR campaign. The narrative we have been sold claims that aid…
Last month the Associated Press reported that the income gap in the United States broke a new record in 2012, with the 1% grabbing a…