World Bank: Alpha and Youssouf

Started in Bretton Woods during WWII as part of the UN, the World Bank’s first purpose was to help rebuild Europe in post WWII. Its first loan of $250 million in 1947, was to France. The Bank’s objectives have changed today, to a sharp focus on poverty reduction. The Bank has been a financial (in lending) and technical support to many underdeveloped nations in Africa, Asia and Latin America. During the 1980s, the Banks purpose and reach was pulled in many directions which led to inspection panels and much criticism, reaching a peak at the annual meeting of 1994 in Madrid. As it seems much improvement has been in play in more recent years.
The Bank is constituted of two institutions (IBRD and IDA) and several affiliates. IBRD has purpose to “reduce poverty in middle-income and creditworthy poorer countries by promoting sustainable development through loans, guarantees, risk management products, and analytical and advisory services”. IDA was designed to “ reduce poverty by providing interest-free loans and grants for programs that boost economic growth, reduce inequalities and improve people’s living conditions”.

Info from:
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTABOUTUS/0,,pagePK:50004410~piPK:36602~theSitePK:29708,00.html

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTABOUTUS/EXTARCHIVES/0,,contentMDK:20053333~menuPK:63762~pagePK:36726~piPK:36092~theSitePK:29506,00.html

Cities in a World Economy

International finance has surpassed international trade today. International finance: loans, equities, foreign currency transactions, occurs in cities which have grown in strength. More precise areas of international finance are financial markets, corporate service firms or even banks. In 1980 foreign direct investment grew three times faster than growth of export trade. Cities became centers of the business because they supported “highly advanced infrastructure… specialized services and top-level concentrations of telecommunications facilities.” “Growth of FDI has been embedded in the internationalization of production of goods and services… internationalization of production in manufacturing is particularly important in establishing FDI flows into developing countries.” 75 % of all FDI stocks were in developed nations. “The five major exporters of capital (United States, United Kingdom, Japan, France and Germany) accounted for 70% of total outflows.” “Levels of investment had grown sharply, reaching US$233.billion in developed countries and US$148.9 in developing countries.” Overall flows to developing countries decreased by 9% while flows to developed nation increased. The majority of the flows to developed nations were directed to East, South and Southeast Asia instead of Latin America, where it had been before. “The single largest recipient of FDI in services in the 1980s… was the European Community.” TNCs replaced banks as sources of financial flow to developing nations. Markets organized “institutional frameworks that organized … massive financial flows”. NAFTA and EEC are examples of transitional trade blocs. “WTO was set up to oversee cross-border trade.

Globalization and Academic Freedom

As it is said on the abstract page of the paper the goal of the paper is to analyze the impact of globalization on higher education in general and academic freedom in particular. "Globalization and Academic Freedom" defined academic freedom as the freedom of members of the academic community, individually or collectively, in the pursuit, development and transmission of knowledge, through research, study, discussion, documentation, production, creation, teaching, lecturing and writing. In fact they gave two definitions but this one from the Lima and Dar Es Salam Declaration is the one I prefer because I think it give a whole view of the concept. Then they try to analyze the relation between globalization and freedom saying that it was an obvious two-way link, one aspect of which being the ICT revolution, itself an engine and an expression of globalization. And they therefore divided the discussion into three submissions. The first was that academic freedom was a global problem. The second was swaying that globalization has changed both the ways and the conditions in which teaching, research; publishing and dissemination of scholarly publishing are carried out. And finally that the neo-liberal globalization has in some ways increased possibilities for academic freedom, but it also actually poses many formidable challenges to academic freedom and the autonomy of higher education institutions. Submissions that they then explained showed.

The days reading studies the impact of globalisation on higher education and academic freedom. The author claims globalisation increased possibilities for academic freedom as well as change the way teaching and research is carried out. He explains the fight against terrorism as a blocage to economic freedom in the barriers/harassment posed to arabs and muslims scholars and teachers. However he admits that "Violators more difficult to identify and to call to account: accountability for abuses." Universities the author claims, is becoming a sanctuary for new ideas, including those that may be unpopular. For this, we see franchise universities in which the meaning is to protect academic freedom from politics and other "actors in society". The author furthers his his text claiming academic freedom "is a precondition for well functioning universities involved in teaching, research and scholarly publishing and dissemination." Through email, websites, digital libraries, online publications, etc..., collaboration is made easier dispite distance. The author makes again further statement that scholars themselves, not always only the government, is a blocade to academic freedom. One scholar may disfavor other colleagues of different religion, party, ideology, etc...