Myths About the Global Poor - Iqbal Quadir

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/05/21/Iqbal_Quadir_How_Technology_Is_Empowering_the_Poor

GrameenPhone founder and microfinance pioneer Iqbal Quadir addresses misconceptions about poverty-stricken countries, and argues that adoption of new technologies can help alleviate conditions in these areas.

-----

Iqbal Quadir on "How Technology Is Empowering the Poor."

Quadir presented a broad outline of development in order to give context for his belief that technology can alleviate poverty.

He reminded us that 500 years ago, when the western countries were still "developing" their own societies, their political systems were no better, and often worse, than the instable corrupt regimes of many developing countries today.

England had a series of kings who were impeached, arrested, ousted, or beheaded for their crimes. It was only after citizens were empowered by economic markets did the balance of power shift from the central king to decentralized citizens.

All steps that devolve power away from a central authority - including laws, trade, and education - will raise democracy.

In Quadir's view, it's not that centralization per se creates poverty. Poverty is the natural beginning state of all societies, east or west. Rather, decentralization is the engine which removes poverty and brings wealth.

To the degree that infrastructure, education, and trade can be decentralized, wealth will rise in proportion. To the degree that infrastructure, education and trade are centralized, poverty will remain - The Long Now Foundation

Iqbal Z. Quadir, founder of Gonofone and GrameenPhone, is the founder and director of the Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the founding co-editor of Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization, a journal published by MIT Press

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• poverty
• first
• third
• world
• nations
• countries
• working
• jobs
• technology
• tech
• computers
• internet
• infrastructure
• foratv
• fora.tv
• fora
• tv

[McArrowni]

Taking only this part of the bigger video was a bad idea. This excerpt makes it sound like the guy is blaming it on the poor, which was not the message of the original video.

For everyone not understanding what I'm talking about, the video this was taken from was about empowering the people of poor nations rather than giving money to their goverments, and attempting to enable these people to connect (with cell phones etc.) so they could use their potential better.

[kshackleton]

I don't know where this guy gets his information from. I've been to Africa and I have never seen a harder working people in my life....working for the very basics of life.

The problems I see in the third world are corrupt governments, no human rights, no infrastructure, no health care.

[muaztrek]

4) If you dont have food ...i think that would fall under your primary need. When you are firefighting on a daily basis u dont "think" business u try to survive. And as for Brain being wasted, on the basis of what is he saying this???

5)Mr Iqbal the question is why do u see centralization??? In a poor country positive externality is reeeeally good, one city having everything is cheaper for the govt and has huge positive externality. Building decentralized structure is costly

[muaztrek]

This guy is sooooooo bad.....he better read up some rudimentary dev econ 101stuff before he stands infront of a podium. People like Barro, Solow, Kanbur, Sen have spent years trying to understand poverty and here comes Guru with his typical business degree inspired answers!!! Sheeeeeeeeeeeesh

[muaztrek]

2)Ever heard of liquidity constraint??? Put in money to buy car....hmm i wonder why college grads in USA dont buy houses..may be they cant get loan

3) Oh fascinating, it is that simple.....i wonder why BRAC and Grameen didnt root out poverty in last 30 years. Group collateral doesnt always work and microcredit is still not capable of solving all the problem

[muaztrek]

I thought the guy was intelligent....what a load of crap...every tough problem has an easy to understand simple WRONG answer...sheeeeesh the same old MBA simplicity

1) They waste time because its not a big resource for them, its an optimizing decision...he is confusing cause with effect. He should check the informal recycling industry of his own country to see whether they r wasteful or not.

[pr0gm3r]

Everything is brainwashing. The politician brainwash society. Religious leader brainwash society, and the coronations brainwash society.

We need more Socrates to questions these authority. !!

[kijijikubwa]

well said my friend, well said THUMBS UP 4 U!!

[shanklinmike]

The people in freedom can push out natural monopolies that exist in our fascist system today. In a truly competitive market people with very little money can advance greatly with half a generation....something most of the world has never seen. In most parts of the world you are what you were born into, America was originally framed to protect the individual and that is what made us prosperous. In a free market today people could invest very little safely and get huge returns in the long-run.

[CognosSquare]

No it seems his example relates well to Bangladesh as he stated.

He did not mention the sordid leadership and instability of it however.

[mandoelpaso]

seems to me that every professor has their own way to give a lecture with their own ideas why there are poor people,one professor mentions this while that other says something completely diffrent, sending mix messages to the audience and their students