Author Archives: mkevane

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About mkevane

Economist at Santa Clara University and Director of Friends of African Village Libraries.

Who would have thought in other countries there is also demand for protectionism? Ghana’s footwear manufacturing industry

Posted on July 29, 2018 by mkevane

“We are no longer able to compete with the influx of imported and inferior products on the Ghanaian market, and this is a worry to all stakeholders,” he noted, adding that this called for prompt intervention on the part of … Continue reading →

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Recent reading and viewing recommendations

Posted on July 29, 2018 by mkevane

The Hydrogen Sonata, a science fiction novel by Iain M. Banks, was a long but good read. Infused with Banks’ theme (in all the novels of his I have read so far) of loneliness and, well I have to say … Continue reading →

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Great quote from Teju Cole, “Every Day is for the Thief” about markets!

Posted on July 28, 2018 by mkevane

“One goes to the market to participate in the world. As with all things that concern the world, being in the market requires caution. The market – the essence of the city – is always alive with possibility and danger. … Continue reading →

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A most disturbing finding about ethnicity in Kenya

Posted on July 26, 2018 by mkevane

Trickle-Down Ethnic Politics: Drunk and Absent in the Kenya Police Force (1957-1970) Oliver Vanden Eynde, Patrick M. Kuhn and Alexander Moradi  American Economic Journal: Economic Policy Vol. 10, Issue 3 — August 2018 How does ethnic politics affect the state’s … Continue reading →

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Choices, choices: Radio campaign to reduce rural child mortality or public transport infrastructure for Ouagadougou

Posted on July 18, 2018 by mkevane

Two items of note popped up this week. First, an economic analysis of the cost-effectiveness of a mass radio campaign to encourage women’s use of health centers. Very cost effective, apparently. The direct program cost was $7,749,128 and it apparently … Continue reading →

Posted in Economy | Comments Off on Choices, choices: Radio campaign to reduce rural child mortality or public transport infrastructure for Ouagadougou

Stata tip: Doing something conditional on existence of a variable in the dataset, using a local

Posted on July 11, 2018 by mkevane

In a program I am writing I want the same utility file to be run on different datasets and certain variables in the dataset. But the datasets have different sets of variables. So a nice Stata tip, adapted for my … Continue reading →

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Livres photos pour les bibliothèques, de International School of Ouagadougou (ISO)

Posted on July 4, 2018 by mkevane

Le 9 mai 2018 était la journée de célébration des projets à l’école américaine appelée International School of Ouagadougou (ISO).  A cette journée ou FAVL a été honoré car suite à l’invitation nous avons voir à l’école une vingtaine de … Continue reading →

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My Dad sends me to a Nigerian comedy web site… pretty good!

Posted on July 4, 2018 by mkevane
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Honey bees are essential for pollination karité trees in Burkina Faso

Posted on June 29, 2018 by mkevane

And unfortunately there is so little known by small farmers about successful bee-keeping in Burkina Faso! Low hanging fruit for development projects? Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa) is an important fruit tree in West African parklands, and its successful pollination is a … Continue reading →

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Think twice before ordering your poulet grillé in Ouagadougou

Posted on June 29, 2018 by mkevane

From a recent study in Food Science & Nutrition: E. coli strains were found to 27.45%. Forty samples (38.24%) were unacceptable based on the aerobic mesophilic bacteria (AMB) load. Fifty‐nine samples (57.85%) were contaminated with thermo‐tolerant coliforms (TTC)…. Diarrheagenic E. … Continue reading →

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Photos from summer 2018 reading camps in #Burkina!

Posted on June 26, 2018 by mkevane

This gallery contains 13 photos.

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Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Posted on June 26, 2018 by mkevane

This book was circulating in the house so I started reading. Reading and skipping. What is there to say? I mean, did someone challenge Cline? “Hey, bet you can’t write a sci fi dystopia where female characters function only as … Continue reading →

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Slavery and the slave trade was so complicated… 3 years as slaves in Suriname and then back to the Gold Coast

Posted on June 26, 2018 by mkevane

In May of 1746, slaving captain Christiaan Hagerop illegally captured ten Gold Coast canoe paddlers, seven of whom were free Africans from Elmina and Fante. Hagerop subsequently sailed to Suriname, where he sold the paddlers into slavery. To appease the … Continue reading →

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Opposition opposes new electoral code law proposed by government in Burkina Faso

Posted on June 16, 2018 by mkevane

Apparent change in independence of national election commission (CENI) and the thorny question of how to organize voting for Burkinabè abroad. Au Burkina Faso, l’opposition se mobilise contre un projet de loi modifiant de code électoral…. La semaine dernière, les … Continue reading →

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Early female Jesuits…

Posted on June 15, 2018 by mkevane

Juana entered almost ten years later. In 1552 the princess, 17 at the time, married the heir to the Portuguese throne. When he died two years later, she returned to Spain. Young, beautiful, and aware of her royal position and … Continue reading →

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Ten Things That You May Not Know About the Jesuits, by James Martin, SJ

Posted on June 15, 2018 by mkevane
Posted in Santa Clara University | Comments Off on Ten Things That You May Not Know About the Jesuits, by James Martin, SJ

Jesuit Superior General basically says women can and should be presidents of Jesuit universities

Posted on June 15, 2018 by mkevane

You see, I wrote, “basically” there which I think is what he meant. Fr. Sosa gave the opening address at the conference, which celebrated and encouraged the need for women’s voices to be heard in the church and in the … Continue reading →

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Sister Alice by Robert Reed

Posted on June 13, 2018 by mkevane

One of my favorite science fiction authors is Robert Reed. His “great ship” series of novellas and stories I found fantastic, and he has lots of other good stuff. But Sister Alice was a mess, at times virtually unreadable.  I’d … Continue reading →

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Larry David and anonymous donations

Posted on June 12, 2018 by mkevane

FAVL gets several anonymous donations a year and I have no idea who they are from… (they come from a fund or a bank).  So let me say thank you right here! What’s intriguing about anonymous giving, and other behaviors … Continue reading →

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Climate change may be responsible for die-off of world’s oldest baobab trees

Posted on June 11, 2018 by mkevane

The largest baobabs have largely stood alone, bearing witness to history. Radiocarbon dating shows the oldest of these stout-trunked savannah trees have lived for upwards of 2,500 years, surviving the birth of Jesus, the Renaissance, two world wars, and the … Continue reading →

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