NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Water Socialists Are All Wet, by Fredrik Segerfeldt

There may be a solution to what had been an insoluble problem. In recent years, a small number of developing country governments have turned to the private sector for help and have introduced market-oriented reforms in the water sector. Overall, the results have been encouraging. The reforms have had limited scope - 97 percent of all water distribution, after all, is still in government hands - but millions of new households in such diverse locations as Argentina, Cambodia, Guinea, Morocco...

Source

Cato Institute

A model for water provision in urban Africa?

The bulk of the US $300 million invested in Senegal’s water partnership has come from World Bank loans made to the Senegalese government. And the World Bank seems pleased with its project, noting in an evaluation report in December that the Senegal case is regarded as a model of public-private partnership in sub-Saharan Africa. One of the main criticisms of utility privatisation is that once the water system is being run to make profits, price hikes usually follow which hit...

Source

IRIN

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

GE sees light in the developing world, by Alex Ritson

GE is simply seeking opportunities by following new markets, [Ferdinando Beccalli-Falco] says. Growth in the western world is growth that is somewhat limited. Nowadays, the market is in so-called developing countries. The market is in China, the market is in India, the market is in the Middle East. We do go where there is a need for infrastructure creation because GE is an infrastructure company. We supply power generating equipment, we supply locomotives, we supply aircraft engines....

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BBC News

Sustainable approaches to healthcare

Governments and non-profit aid organisations need to create a market for drugs, build better healthcare delivery systems, and keep trained medical personnel from leaving the developing world if they are to improve health in the world?s poorest countries, according to panelists who spoke at a Wharton Social Impact Management conference in January. Story available here. ...

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The Financial Express

`The fortune is indeed at the bottom of the pyramid`: Interview with Ratan Tata, by T N Ninan and P

The fastest growth, Ratan Tata says, does indeed lie at the bottom of the pyramid and discusses his group?s plans to get to it, including a fundamental re-look at how products/services are produced. Interview available here. ...

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The Business Standard

Kraft, Kellogg eye emerging markets

International expansion is key for the two of the largest U.S. food companies, company executives said on Monday, but it comes with its share of risks. Speaking at the Reuters Food Summit, Kraft Foods Inc., the largest U.S. food company, said it plans to push deeper into emerging markets this year, but breaking into India has proven to be more of a challenge than anticipated. And Kellogg Co., the world’s largest cereal maker, said it was taking a cautious approach on China due to cost consid...

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Reuters

Nestl? boss starts an African crusade

The boss of the world?s largest food company will tell the conference that trade barriers in Europe and America have done more damage to Africa than Third World debt - which has dominated the debate on relieving poverty there. Delegates at the conference - which is being organised by the BBC - include Sir Bob Geldof and Peter Mandelson, the EU commissioner for external trade. ?We are spending in Europe and the US $1 billion dollars every day protecting our agriculture indu...

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Times Online

Drug giants export trials to China, new markets

Western drugmakers are shifting more clinical trials to emerging markets in a bid to save money, speed research and educate a new generation of local doctors about their products. Just how far the trend has gone was highlighted on Wednesday when researchers announced results from a 46,000-patient trial in China, funded by Sanofi-Aventis SA, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co and AstraZeneca Plc. The study on blood thinner Plavix and beta blocker Toprol XL, presented at the American College...

Source

Daily Times