I spent part of this morning reading through the Financial Times Supplement on Business and Aids.
Published on November 28 to coincide with World Aids Day, this document examines how HIV/Aids is affecting corporate behaviour and highlights best practice. It is well worth reading and would be a useful background reader for courses focusing on corporate social responsibility. While this provides a glimmer of hope, I continue to be appalled by the lack of concern being shown by world leaders. The extra funding promised by George Bush earlier this year was accompanied by much fanfare (an increase of US$5 billion over 5 years), this is still a drop in the ocean -- US$15 billion over 5 years (or US$3 billion per year). The financial contribution from the EU is equally pitiful. To put these figures into perspective, consider the US military budget for the fiscal year 2004: a cool US $401 billion -- an increase of 8 billion dollars over current levels.
Some time ago I posted on the subject of the French students who protested against mainstream economics, denouncing it as a form of autism. Working in Australia last week with my colleague, Judy McNeill, we were very heartened to find that there now exists a burgeoning 'post-autistic' economics movement!
I was also fortunate enough (thanks to my colleague, Corrie Reiman) to meet Hugh Stretton while attending a conference in Adelaide. Hugh's book, Economics: A New Introduction (of which I am a proud owner), is a masterful piece of work, and one that wins the seal of approval of the post-autistic economics movement. Sadly, however, I think it is unlikely to make too much of a dent on the mainstream paradigm as, alongside the Mankiws and McTaggarts of this world, it just ain't 'sexy'enough.