What's your golden parachute (African dictator edition)?

An interesting tidbit from an article on the fighting in Ivory Coast to displace the recalcitrant predecessor to the democratically elected incoming president.

In the four months since the disputed election, the international community has repeatedly offered [defeated president] Gbagbo a golden parachute, only to be rebuffed. He twice refused to take a phone call from President Barack Obama, who offered him a teaching position at a Boston university if he agreed to peacefully step aside.

Several thoughts come to mind:

1) Is the Kennedy School developing a new MA program for dictators? Will it offer a "Masters in Dictatorial Administration"? I bet there would be a good market in this, and they could charge high fees (with a separately priced option, of course, for personal assistance with the master's thesis).

2) Maybe Gbagbo thought the teaching load was too high? Or perhaps they could not find a lecturing position for his spouse?

3) Is there some reason to think that a teaching position in "a Boston university" would be more attractive than, say, a villa in some central american country?

Worth taking a moment here, too, to be grateful for the social capital in the Western democracies that leads to the peaceful and regular political transitions we take for granted. It doesn't have to be that way.

Hat tip: Lars Skipper

Vuvuzela

I was wondering about the background noise in the US vs. England World Cup match yesterday and so I did what you would naturally do, which is to ask some of our clever gradual students, in this case in particular a student from South Africa.

The noise, which sounds like a large number of kazoos droning on and on and on is in fact a large number of vuvuzelas droning on and on and on.

I commend the wikipedia article on vuvuzelas to those who want to know more. It includes some discussion of a possible ban on vuvuzelas at the World Cup, something that obviously did not materialize.

Cheering Mugabe

That Mugabe is even invited to Zuma's inauguration, let alone given an ovation, almost defies comment.

Why, again, is Mugabe not in a prison cell?

And what were the South Africans thinking?

Robert Mugabe: your 15 minutes of fame ended 30 years ago

It is a tremendous embarrassment to South Africa, which is supposed to be the leader of Southern Africa, to the African Union, to the UN and indeed to the entire civilized world that Robert Mugabe remains in power in Zimbabwe.

Indeed, it is amazing to me that he remains alive let alone in charge.

Here is a moving, and amazing, post from Chris Blattman on hyper-inflation in practice. We know how to prevent hyper-inflation. There is NO excuse for this.

Africa and development economics

I particularly like the second map, which rather sums up the state of things.

I should be reading Chris Blattman's blog more regularly.

There is a stark and brutal reality to development economics, particularly in Africa, that just does not inhere any other part of economics. Put differently, many parts of economics are a lot like working at a think tank in DC or in the research department of a bank. Development economics is more like working in the emergency room.

Very sad news from Zimbabwe

The opposition candidate has pulled out of Zimbabwe's presidential election, leaving the field to the senile thug Robert Mugabe.

Shame on the UN and shame on the government of South Africa for letting Mugabe persist in office.

I am again mystified, as I always am in these situations, at the international norm that protects dictators from the benign influence of the well timed cruise missle but fails to protect their subjects from their violence and incompetence.

Lump sum transfers in Namibia

BIG payments in Namibia. The BBC article is a puff piece but the idea is nonetheless an interesting one. This is not a negative income tax - it is lump sum transfers from outside the system. I think much of the action will lie in the long run when the BIG recipients come to view the money as normal rather than unusual.

Also, notice the BBCs suggestion at the end that by taxing the lump sum transfers they can become self-financing. I guess addition is not a requirement for employ at the BBC.

Hat tip (on the BBC piece): Jessica Goldberg