December 2011
15 posts
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How Luther went viral: Five centuries before... →
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Uninformed 'vital for democracy'
Uninformed individuals are vital for achieving a democratic consensus, according to a study in the journal Science.
The researchers say that they dilute the influence of minority factions who would otherwise dominate everyone else.
This is because they tend to side with and embolden the numerical majority.
The findings challenge the commonly held idea that an outspoken minority can manipulate...
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The 25 Most Beautiful College Libraries in the...
The Trinity College Library, aka “The Long Room,” Dublin, Ireland. More here.
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Correlation or Causation?
Correlation may not imply causation, but it sure can help us insinuate it.
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The Swazi Bull
For traditionalists, King Mswati III’s troubled year, the rapid collapse of Swaziland’s economy and the surge in pro-democracy protests has little to do with South Africa’s revision of [the regional] Southern African Customs Union (Sacu) disbursements late last year. It has its roots, instead, in an unfortunate variation in the mystic, and private, Incwala ceremony last December.
The ceremony...
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Corrosive corruption
The Economist shows the correlation between UN’s Human Development Index and the Corruption Perception Index, published by Transparency International. Although we should never forget the golden rule of inference, the graphic is quite interesting.
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What do we really know about microfinance?
Depending on whom you ask, with almost 200 million borrowers around the world, microfinance might be the best thing ever to happen to international development or an overhyped and dangerous intervention. Microfinance, the largest trend in international development in years, remains mostly unproven; it’s a realm of heartwarming stories and vague ideas about why and how it should work – and for...
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Corruption Perception Index 2011 →
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