Category Archives: Burkina Faso

Alessandra Cassar on effects of institutional experience on trust

We had a great departmental seminar today with Alessandra Cassar reporting on experiments done in Italy and Kosovo.  She and co-author ask whether playing a “trade game” where some players have an impartial enforcement mechanism and other players have a … Continue reading

Posted in Burkina Faso | Comments Off on Alessandra Cassar on effects of institutional experience on trust

Who actually wants a son, when we see strong son preference?

Not women, very much, it seems. A new paper by Laura Zimmermann from University of Michigan, using data from India. It is well-documented that in a number of countries unnaturally few girls are born relative to boys. Explanations have focused … Continue reading

Posted in Burkina Faso | Comments Off on Who actually wants a son, when we see strong son preference?

via Econbrowser: Lessons from the Crisis for Teaching Macro

The short article by Menzie is a pithy summary of the most important “missing link” in most intermediate macro… unfortunately not that easy to incorporate into the model without seeming very ad hoc, and without ending up with a $20 … Continue reading

Posted in Burkina Faso | Comments Off on via Econbrowser: Lessons from the Crisis for Teaching Macro

The cartoon says it all – Mali and Burkina

« Quand la barbe de ton voisin brûle, arrose d’eau la tienne », indique un proverbe sahélien. Mais quand c’est la case du voisin qui brûle, il devient dérisoire d’enfouir sa tête dans le sable. Les destins du Mali et … Continue reading

Posted in Burkina Faso | Comments Off on The cartoon says it all – Mali and Burkina

Essential for following Mali crisis realtime… Martin Vogl (martinvogl) on Twitter

Martin Vogl ‏ @martinvogl tweets and retweets What is ordinary life in Kidal, Gao, Timbuktu going to be like now? Shops? Banks? Hospitals? Administration Off the phone with friends in #Gao: Vehicles stolen, banks/NGOs/hospitals looted. Medicine, gas and water in … Continue reading

Posted in Burkina Faso | Comments Off on Essential for following Mali crisis realtime… Martin Vogl (martinvogl) on Twitter

Viral picture that still brings a smile

Posted in Burkina Faso | Comments Off on Viral picture that still brings a smile

Sad and absurd for a country to fall this low… Sanogo annonce le rétablissement des institutions ce 1er avril

Timbuktu apparently has been abandoned to the MNLA, and Sanogo realizes that he’s going to be jailed or killed in a couple days if he doesn’t throw in the towel.  What on earth are the soldiers thinking, or are they … Continue reading

Posted in Burkina Faso | Comments Off on Sad and absurd for a country to fall this low… Sanogo annonce le rétablissement des institutions ce 1er avril

“Terrific” criticism of the coup and its aftermath, from unnamed sources, via Xinhua…

The assessment of the coup at this point has to be that the soldiers have taken Mali to a very grim turn indeed. BAMAKO, 30 mars (Xinhua) — L’annonce de la prise de Kidal par les rebelles a plongé le … Continue reading

Posted in Burkina Faso | Comments Off on “Terrific” criticism of the coup and its aftermath, from unnamed sources, via Xinhua…

Still at 14% it seems, the gold revenue take of the government of Burkina Faso

The Prime Minister of Burkina, Luc Adolphe Tiao, just gave his “discours a la nation” where he mentioned: Les six (6) mines d’or en activité ont porté la production industrielle d’or à 32,60 tonnes en 2011, contre 23,08 tonnes en … Continue reading

Posted in Burkina Faso | Comments Off on Still at 14% it seems, the gold revenue take of the government of Burkina Faso

Uh oh… from RFi… Mali not going to get better anytime soon… hello Cote d’Ivoire… in the worst way

Le capitaine Sanogo s’est en revanche rendu à l’aéroport de Bamako. Pendant plusieurs heures, il s’est entretenu à huis clos avec Djibril Bassolé ou Mohamed Bazoum, chefs des diplomaties burkinabè et nigérienne, ainsi qu’avec Adama Bictogo, ministre ivoirien de l’Intégration … Continue reading

Posted in Burkina Faso | Comments Off on Uh oh… from RFi… Mali not going to get better anytime soon… hello Cote d’Ivoire… in the worst way

Why I am glad I don’t have to do political commentary for a living

The Mali coup is one of those opaque events that are really hard to figure out.  Observers try, and they have to produce something (for their blogs, or their employers) … but in their hearts they know they really have … Continue reading

Posted in Burkina Faso | Comments Off on Why I am glad I don’t have to do political commentary for a living

Fukuyama review of Why Nations Fail by Acemoglu and Robinson

Over at The American Interest: They present a sharply bifurcated distinction between what they call good “inclusive” economic and political institutions, which are sometimes also labeled “pluralistic,” in contrast to what they call bad “extractive” or “absolutist” ones. Unfortunately, these … Continue reading

Posted in Burkina Faso | Comments Off on Fukuyama review of Why Nations Fail by Acemoglu and Robinson

Martin Vogl interview with Sanogo in Mali (in English)

Link to the interview, not sure where it broadcast.  Sanogo asserts ATT has no soldiers with him.  “No one” is protecting ATT.  No fear of counter-coup.

Posted in Burkina Faso | Comments Off on Martin Vogl interview with Sanogo in Mali (in English)

Opinion on the “vrai-faux” coup d’etat in Mali… it really is a weird coup…

An excellent opinion piece by Jean-Pierre Béjot of La Dépêche Diplomatique: It’s crazy ! Totalement fou. A-t-on jamais vu un président de la République être destitué par un « coup d’Etat » à quelques semaines d’une présidentielle (à laquelle il n’était pas candidat) … Continue reading

Posted in Burkina Faso | Comments Off on Opinion on the “vrai-faux” coup d’etat in Mali… it really is a weird coup…

Nigeria Central Bank governor Sanusi on fuel subsidies…

Posted in Burkina Faso | Comments Off on Nigeria Central Bank governor Sanusi on fuel subsidies…

Students returning from Africa study abroad… what films to watch and discuss?

Seven films come immediately to mind. (With cut and paste description blurbs.) 1) A Panther in Africa – On October 30, 1969, Pete O’Neal, a young Black Panther in Kansas City, Missouri, was arrested for transporting a gun across state … Continue reading

Posted in Burkina Faso | Comments Off on Students returning from Africa study abroad… what films to watch and discuss?

Popular action against Essakane gold mine

Apparently youth in Seno have blocked the mining trucks, demanding more local hires, more training, more transparency. Les engins de la Société minière ESSAKANE SA sont bloqués depuis le 19 mars dernier à l’entrée de la ville de Dori. Selon … Continue reading

Posted in Burkina Faso | Comments Off on Popular action against Essakane gold mine

Political rally… Boromo, Burkina Faso… in front of the library

From lefaso.net, a UPC political rally in front of the CLAC of Boromo.  Will Diabré emerge as the serious competitor for the CDP candidate(s)?  That the rally was at the CLAC is meaningful really only to me! L’Union pour le … Continue reading

Posted in Burkina Faso | Comments Off on Political rally… Boromo, Burkina Faso… in front of the library

I was (almost) there… Bernanke on gold standard, Isaacson on Jobs, and Knell on NPR

I was at a conference today at George Washington University on liberal learning in undergraduate business education, and Bernanke kicked us out of his room so he could kill the gold standard people…. “Unfortunately, gold standards are far from perfect … Continue reading

Posted in Burkina Faso | Comments Off on I was (almost) there… Bernanke on gold standard, Isaacson on Jobs, and Knell on NPR

More Kony 2012 reflection

My daughter Sukie watched the whole video last night (she’s 9) and then she had a bad dream. But when Leslie questioned whether it was OK for her to be watching, Sukie piped up, “Gaby already watched it and she’s … Continue reading

Posted in Burkina Faso | Comments Off on More Kony 2012 reflection