Paul Collier on the "bottom billion"

Given my propensity to watch TED talks while I'm at work, I found this one that I thought tied back into our reading for Monday's class. Simone discusses the implications of an economy and culture that arises organically out of the circumstances of poor cities around the world. Economist Paul Collier addresses a similar issue when he spoke about the "bottom billion," otherwise known as the one billion people trapped in countries whose economies have been largely stagnant for the past forty years or so. He argues that the "two forces that can change the world for good" are "compassion and enlightened self-interest," a concept that I think Simone would find amenable. While the data is a little dated, as he gave the talk at a TED conference in 2008, I think his insight is useful still in helping us to understand what needs to be done to combat the negative consequences of poor urban life.







- Erin