Today around 2.5 billion people remain unbanked or underbanked, meaning they lack access to basic services such as checking accounts and loans. In addition, social entrepreneurs desperately need...Show moreToday around 2.5 billion people remain unbanked or underbanked, meaning they lack access to basic services such as checking accounts and loans. In addition, social entrepreneurs desperately need sustainable financial vehicles to stimulate economic growth from the bottom-up in underdeveloped countries. How to bring financial services to the doorstep of the poor has hence always been a question at the forefront of the global development industry. Since its inception in the 1970’s, the modern concept of microfinance has consequently drawn much attention to itself. At times, its pioneer father Muhammad Yunus has even been hailed as having invented the solution which would ultimately end global poverty. This thesis first examines microfinance in Kenya and evaluates its respective effectiveness in stimulating social entrepreneurship. It then includes social venture capital as a possible alternative to traditional impact investment tools and ultimately hints at a new combined direction in financing Africa.Show less
As the second most-traded commodity in the world, coffee is an essential part of world trade. In 2002 a crisis hit the global coffee sector and prices hit their lowest point in a century. As the...Show moreAs the second most-traded commodity in the world, coffee is an essential part of world trade. In 2002 a crisis hit the global coffee sector and prices hit their lowest point in a century. As the birthplace of coffee, and home to some of the most unique varieties of coffee, Ethiopia was hit hard by this crisis. Since then many reforms have taken place in Ethiopia's coffee sector in order to improve its standing within the global coffee trade, however in order to understand the success of these reforms and the potential for more to be done, it is essential to truly understand the value chain of Ethiopia's coffee. This thesis is an analysis of Ethiopia's coffee sector, and provides an insight into some of the ways in which Ethiopia may be able to capitalise from the rarity and quality of its coffee varieties.Show less
Although it appears that mainstream history has second ranked Central Eurasia, throughout most of history, the region has been at the forefront of world politics. Successively called Sogdiana by...Show moreAlthough it appears that mainstream history has second ranked Central Eurasia, throughout most of history, the region has been at the forefront of world politics. Successively called Sogdiana by the Arabs, Transoxiana by westerners or Turkestan, literally ‘land of the Turks’ by the Persians; the region has come to our minds as Central Asia. Until the Age of Discoveries, Central Asia constituted the nervous system of the Eurasian international system (Frankopan 2015). Historically, whoever dominated trade along Central Asia dominated the Eurasian landmass. Trade took place primarily between China and Europe while Central Asia acted as the middle man. As such, the native nomadic tribes pacified the region in order to foster trade. Intensive exchanges in goods, peoples and ideas were the hallmark of the Eurasian economy in which continental trade dominated. Land and see routes where integrated into a single international system in which Central Asia was located at the center while the rest of the world constituted the periphery (Beckwith 2009). In 1877, the distinguished German geologist Ferdinand von Richthofen coined the Eurasian economic system as the ‘Seidenstraße’: the Silk Route. Nevertheless, Central Asia’s golden era did not last. With the maritime expeditions of Columbus and Vasco de Gama the ‘Eurasian continental system’ began to unravel. The revolutionary discoveries of alternative sea routes led to the establishment of new trade lanes (Frankopan 2015). As Beckwith explains in his book Empires of the Silk Road, the final blow to the continental system was struck by the partitioning of Central Eurasia by the Russian and Chinese empires. Newly erected borders led to soaring tariffs and increasing insecurity causing trade to spiral downward. Economic disintegration brought about intellectual decay which further isolated the region (Starr et al 2015). As a result, trade along sea lanes became much more competitive. The fundamental shift in trade patterns ushered the ‘Littoral system’ characterized by mass maritime trade (Beckwith 2009). Consequently, the center of gravity shifted from Central Asia to the coastal peripheries who dominated the sea lanes. Mastering state of the art naval technology, European countries such as Britain became the primary beneficiaries of the new ‘Littoral system’. The maritime system endured with the creation of the canal of Suez and the establishment of the Soviet Union which redirected the ancient networks of the Silk Road to Moscow. For the next three centuries, the world witnessed the European Era followed by the American Era. However, the ‘Littoral system’ is not invulnerable. In his renowned article ‘The Geographical Pivot of History’, MacKinder outlines the threats facing the Littoral system; noteworthy, a reunified Eurasia. It seems that the tide is turning once more. In 1991, the Soviet Union disintegrated in what President Putin called “the greatest geopolitical tragedy of the 20th century". The momentous event enabled Central Asian people to regain their independence. Almost immediately, the European Union and Eastern European countries launched a bold trade and transportation project named the Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA) with the aim of restoring the “Historical Silk Road” (Starr et al 2015). Inaugurated in great pomp, the weakly executed project met with little success (Matveeva 2006). Then, in the wake of the September 11 attacks, the United States intervened in Afghanistan in order to gain a foothold in the Central Asian area (Genté Régis 2014). In 2010, recognizing Afghanistan’s historical importance, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton instigated the News Silk Road initiative aimed at establishing Afghanistan as a key trade hub (Hormats 2011). Nonetheless, the project failed to receive the vital endorsement of the U.S. President and soon thereafter fell apart (Starr et al, 2015). Three years later, China’s supreme leader, President Xi Jinping, made an ambitious proposal for the revival of the Silk Road. Could Xi’s momentous plans succeed in revitalizing the Eurasian system?Show less
Over the past decades, China has evolved into a major world power and moved away from being an isolated nation to one integrated into the international community. This thesis will discuss how...Show moreOver the past decades, China has evolved into a major world power and moved away from being an isolated nation to one integrated into the international community. This thesis will discuss how Chinese presence, power and interference have evolved and how this has impacted the international community with a focus on the African continent. Going more in-depth with two case studies in Africa, Ethiopia and Zambia, it will describe the reasons for China’s cooperation with both countries and the differences in her strategic approach and outcome.Show less
