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The blog of the Science, Technology and Public Policy program of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Editor
Zachary Tumin
Category Archives: Development
Africa’s New Science and Innovation Agenda
by Calestous Juma I am on my way back from the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Cape Town, South Africa. This was a remarkable meeting with an overwhelming intellectual energy. The event was unique in many respects. But … Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Agriculture, Biotechnology, Development, Emerging Tech, Engineering, Health, Innovation, Manufacturing, Telcomm
Tagged africa, Agriculture, Biotechnology, infrastructure, Technology, wef; grow africa; akinola; financial times; innovation; carlsson; gatete; van houten; lanre; ericsson; ibm; samsung; mobile; fibre; rwanda; south africa; nobel;
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Engineering the Future
by Calestous Juma The rise of emerging markets is heralded as a force that will change the global balance of power. But behind the rise of the new economies lies a strong commitment to leveraging engineering as a foundation … Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Development, Emerging Tech, Engineering, Internet
Tagged africa, anji hunter, bill gates, blackberry, bob kahn, hiobo, ibm, lagos, lord broers, louis pouzin, marc andreesen, mooc, nairobi, opencourseware, queen elizabeth; prize; tim berners-lee, stem, vint cerf
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Africa and Brazil at the Dawn of New Economic Diplomacy
by Calestous Juma In recent years the major focus of China’s engagement in Africa has been on economic diplomacy. Much of this debate has been influenced by concerns over China’s rise as an economic superpower and the preoccupation with viewing … Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Agriculture, Development, Education, Health and Safety, Emerging Tech, Energy, Innovation, Jobs
Tagged africa, agricultural transformation agency, annual lagos black heritage festival, aviation, brazil, brazilian cooperation agency, brics, cecat, china, diplomacy, embraer, embrapa, energy, henry bellingham, india, nigeria, petroleum, power, rousseff, russia, south africa, standard bank, trade rousseff
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Developing Country Farmers Bridge the “Biotechnology Divide”
by Calestous Juma Critics of agricultural biotechnology have long contended that it would not benefit farmers in developing countries. Their concerns were not unjustified. A large number of technologies continue to be restricted to industrialized countries despite their global … Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Agriculture, Biotechnology, Development, Education, Health and Safety
Tagged biotech, Biotechnology, clive james, cuba, gm crops, isaaa, sudan
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Africa’s Economic Growth Prospects
by Calestous Juma Africa’s economic growth outlook has come into sharp focus recently. Some analysts have argued that claims about “Africa Rising” are a myth. Others argue that Africa’s growth is underestimated. These contrasting views, however, pay little attention to … Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Development, Education, Health and Safety
Tagged calestous, comsea, eurorzone, innovation council, juma, technocracy, trade
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Forging New Diplomatic Bonds Through Science and Technology
by Calestous Juma Science and technology are being increasingly recognized as central features in international diplomacy. Much of the attention, however, has focused on how major industrialized countries and large emerging nations such as China, India, and Brazil use science … Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Development
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Persecuting Biotechnology
by Calestous Juma In a widely circulated speech, UK environmental activist Mark Lynas has apologized for his past history of demonizing transgenic crops and masterminding the anti-biotechnology campaign. Explaining at the Oxford Farming Conference in January 2013 why he … Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Agriculture, Development, Health, Innovation
Tagged Biotechnology, lynas, transgenic
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Biotechnology and Africa’s Strategic Interests
by Calestous Juma (Cross-posted from Global Food for Thought) Global food politics are riddled with paradoxes. While threats to global food security are becoming increasingly evident, efforts to stall the adoption of new technologies appear to intensify. There is … Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Agriculture, Development
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Africa and Obama: What the Continent Should Do in His Second Term
by Calestous Juma Euphoria swept across Sub-Saharan Africa when Barack Obama was elected the first black president of the United States in 2008. Kenya, the ancestral home of his father, declared a national holiday to mark his victory. His … Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Development
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Empowering Women by Upgrading Local Training Institutions
By Calestous Juma Inequality between men and women remains one of the most critical sources of low economic productivity in Africa. Many of the efforts seek to address the challenge by creating new training institutions. A complementary strategy is to … Continue reading
Posted in Africa, Development, Education, Health and Safety
Tagged africa, inequality, training, women
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