Category Archives: Resource Based Economy

MALAKAND:

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said the government was working for the promotion of technical education and information technology to ensure sustainable economic growth, which would ultimately help generate more jobs and empower the country's youth.

Addressing the inauguration function of new block at Malakand University, Premier Imran said, Developed nations' success is attributed to their priorities they accord to quality education, research and knowledge-based economy and this is why the government is investing in human resource development for rapid economic growth and to generate more employment opportunities.

PM Imran said NUML University is providing quality education to thousands of aspiring students, expressing hope that it would soon become on a par with the Oxford University.

Al Qadir University will be completed by this September and it would also become a hub of quality education and research works, he added.

Taking a jibe at PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, the PM said the country's wealth had been stolen for the past 30 years and its plunderers had either taken shelter in hospitals or fled abroad to escape accountability.

Happiness, he remarked, could only be achieved by following the right path and serving people with dedication and commitment.

Imran said there was no shortcut in life for achieving goals and all objectives could be achieved through hard work and professionalism, adding that aimless life destroyed potential of individuals.

He said Pakistan possessed all the potential to become a developed country and great responsibility lay with the educational institutions to bring intellectual revolution among students as per Quaid-i-Azam and Allama Iqbal's vision.

He said when his government took over the country's reins, it was facing massive loan burden and bank default and the national kitty was almost empty. With the support of friendly countries and his government's strong economic policies, he said, the country was now heading towards the right direction of economic stability and prosperity.

The country, he said, had come out of a difficult economic situation now and his government had returned a record Rs6.2 trillion interest on loans during the last two and a half years, whereas, the PML-N could only repay Rs3 trillion during the same period.

In comparison, his government had returned Rs35 trillion as repayment and interest on loans whereas the PML-N had paid back only Rs20 trillion, he informed.

He said the government was focusing on mega development projects to generate economic and financial resources. In addition to two mega projects of Bhasha and Mohmand dams to meet energy needs, Ravi and Business cities were also being established in Lahore with the potential to generate Rs6,000 billion revenue and promote economic activities, he added.

Following construction of Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC), he said over 300,000 acres of land would be irrigated in DI Khan and adjoining districts that would bring about green revolution in southern districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

He said the area on right bank of the Indus River was the most suitable option for olive plantation and a substantial revenue could be generated by promoting its cultivation, besides saving hefty revenue being spent on edible oil import.

The PM also hinted at soon announcing a new policy for further promotion of the agriculture sector in the country.

Imran said promotion of tourism in the country was the cornerstone of the PTI government's policy and domestic tourism had now taken off, especially in K-P.

He said Malaysia was earning about $20 billion, Turkey $40 billion, Switzerland from $60 billion to $80 billion from tourism and Pakistan's northern areas, including Gilgit-Baltistan and K-P, have more land than Switzerland where skiing sports could be developed to generate substantial revenue for the national kitty.

Malaysia, he said, had achieved remarkable success by promoting cottage and others industries due to the prudent leadership of its Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohammad.

Earlier, the PM was briefed about the salient features of the newly inaugurated block in Malakand University.

Upon his arrival, the PM was received by Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and the University of Malakand vice chancellor.

Premier Imran also visited the Swat Motorway and inaugurated three tunnels that will significantly reduce travel time.

He unveiled the plaque on the occasion to mark the inauguration and also inspected the completed tunnels.

Federal Minister for Communications Murad Saeed accompanied him.

On his arrival at Zalam Kot, Malakand, the PM was received by Mahmood and Director General of Frontier Works Organisation, Major General Kamal Azfar.

Briefing the premier, the FWO DG said the 80km-long Swat Motorway had seven interchanges and three tunnels with length of 1,266, 271 and 324 metres.

He also presented a 3D model of Swat Motorway to the prime minister.

The K-P government has successfully constructed Pakistan's first provincial motorway from its own resources.

The Swat Motorway has reduced journey time for commuters, especially tourists and traders. It also benefits the entire Malakand Division comprising Swat, Dir Lower, Dir Upper, Chitral Lower, Chitral Upper, Bajaur, Buner and Shangla districts.

The motorway originates from Karnal Sher Interchange in Swabi district on the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway and ends at Chakdara in Dir Lower district.

Former K-P chief minister Pervaiz Khattak had performed its groundbreaking on August 25, 2016.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has recently approved acquisition of 10,000 kanal of land for the Swat Motorway Phase-II, which would be constructed from Chakdara to Fatehpur Madayn with an estimated cost of Rs37 billion, besides Rs20 billion cost of land.

The completion of the first phase of Swat Motorway has opened opportunities of trade, business and tourism for the Malakand Division, besides significantly reducing the distance between Peshawar and Swat to nearly two hours.

Before the construction of Swat Motorway, it used to take about four hours to reach Peshawar from Mingora, Swat due to the narrow Malakand Pass. (With input from app)

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Govt following in the footsteps of developed nations: PM - The Express Tribune

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Non-profit StartOut and Socos Labs today announced the launch of their Inclusion Impact Indexes survey available to all US-based entrepreneurs. The Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) survey measures entrepreneurs economic impact in terms of job creation, patents, financings and exits.

The initial initiative, The StartOut Pride Economic Impact Index (SPEII) was originally launched in July 2020. The SPEII was the first of the Inclusion Impact Indexes to gain insights on All, Female, and LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs' economic impact and quantified the economic value of under-utilized LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs in near real-time.

The survey gathers data with the goal of addressing the talent and resource gap at a time when the US needs every region and every community to reach its full potential to kickstart the US economy post Covid-19. The insights gained from the survey will be available for free, for all to access and utilize for quantitative decision-making. Municipalities, investors, ecosystem builders, and grantors can use the insights to improve their support of founders with diverse backgrounds and reap the corresponding benefits.

Initial Inclusion Impact Indexes data insights show that over the last 20 years, for example:

Socos Labs and StartOut are excited about the number of collaborators who are inviting their entrepreneurs to take part in the confidential survey. The list of collaborators is growing and includes: 500 Startups, Aspen Tech Policy Hub, AWS, Bunker Labs, Crunchbase, FLIK, Global Entrepreneurship Network, Google For Startups, Grid110, Halcyon, Impact Hub New York Metropolitan, Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center, National Venture Capital Association, OutLeadership, PitchBook, Silicon Valley Bank, SV Impact, TechCrunch, Venture Forward, many others. StartOut invites all entrepreneurs and their supporters throughout the US to participate in this seminal D&I project.

"StartOut is thrilled to work with a rapidly growing list of project collaborators who have signed-on to use their own networks and support this critical D&I project," added Andres Wydler, StartOuts executive director. "We need to understand every communitys contributions and unrealized potential today if we want to maximize the speed of the recovery post-Covid 19."

Participation in the survey is voluntary and all responses are held in confidentiality. Only aggregated, anonymized insights are shared publicly.

The Inclusion Impact Indexes initiative utilizes big data analysis and a corresponding AI-driven engine to both measure contributions in close to real-time and calculate what they could be with equal access. The easy-to-use platform visualizes growth opportunities by metro areas in terms of jobs, patents, fundraising and company exits. It also sheds light on entrepreneurial opportunities within specific industries and allows for multiple correlation analyses.

"Our big-data driven approach takes the guesswork out of decision making for interventions," said Dr. Vivienne Ming, founder of Socos Labs. "Over time, we can evaluate trends and differences with the data at hand and will gain deep insights into which programs and regulations impact opportunities for underrepresented communities, positively and negatively."

"It is critical to create an environment free from marginalization where everyone has an equal chance to share in the economic opportunities that business ownership can provide," stated Cate Costa, vice president, Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase, which supported the SPEII development. "JPMorgan Chase is proud to support the Inclusion Impact Indexes, which empowers leaders to make data-driven investments that will help make entrepreneurship more accessible and equitable for underserved communities."

Entrepreneurs in the US can easily complete the survey in 2-4 minutes and can be accessed securely online at:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfVI3IdL8mk6RqCrPRFRYiqdOT0hv0RwTGJDQgK0UpmtcAZmQ/viewform

The StartOut Pride Economic Impact Index is publicly available for free at http://www.inclusionindexes.org.

About StartOut:

Founded in 2009, StartOut, a national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is the largest national organization to support LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs with over 17K members nationwide. StartOuts mission is to increase the number, diversity, and impact of LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs and amplify their stories to drive the economic empowerment of the community. StartOut helps aspiring LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs start new companies; supports current entrepreneurs as they grow and expand their existing businesses; and engages successful entrepreneurs as role models and mentors, on its online portal and through targeted events nationwide. For more information, please visit http://www.startout.org

About Socos Labs:

Socos Labs was created by Dr. Vivienne Ming after a career founding companies and nonprofits to overcome challenges in education, the workforce, and health. Socos Labs is a mad science incubator that explores messy human problems. Socos experiments with whole new visions of work, education, innovation, and inclusive economies to inform more human-centered policy. To learn more about Socos Labs, email us at info@socos.org.

The rest is here:

Socos Labs and StartOut Roll Out Inclusion Impact Indexes Survey to All US Entrepreneurs - Business Wire

The high-level meeting in Alaska this week between top American and Chinese national security officials is pivotal. Indeed, historians may look back on it as decisive. This is not just the first meeting following President Donald Trumps departure and President Joe Bidens arrival, but it may herald the arrival of a new era of U.S.-Chinese dynamics, defined by persistent and consistent friction, volatility, and distrust.

Whereas past presidential transitions offered both sides a chance to redefine the terms of relations, the Biden team jumped into the deep end of the pool head first. It immediately framed U.S.-Chinese relations as a strategic competition, with the president at one point calling it extreme competition. At the same time, administration officials have talked about avoiding a new Cold War, suggesting support for a strategy of competition and coexistence, previously advocated by national security adviser Jake Sullivan and the National Security Councils coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, Kurt Campbell.

The central China policy challenge facing the Biden administration is this: how to build and sustain a political consensus both at home and abroad for a balanced approach of competition without catastrophe. This is no easy task. The American publics views of China are at historic lows, undermining support for stable relations . While Congress displays broad consensus in favor of a more competitive approach, China policy has also become deeply partisan. U.S. allies and partners, both in Europe and Asia, hold a diversity of views about Beijing. And China isnt standing still, but rather adopting policies to blunt or circumvent U.S. power.

As American policymakers seek to navigate the debates at home and abroad, a critical challenge will be ensuring these discussions are based on sound analytical judgments about China and U.S.-Chinese dynamics. We are concerned about five myths that have become common in the United States, all of which deserve closer scrutiny as the Biden administration refines its China strategy: First, that Chinas economy is on the precipice of collapse, or conversely, is a juggernaut. Second, that Beijing can effectively plan the countrys future out several decades. Third, that Xi Jinping is preparing an imminent invasion of Taiwan. Fourth, that Beijing will engage in military adventurism to distract from domestic crisis. And, finally, that the U.S. policy of engagement was a total failure.

Chinas Economy: Neither Colossus nor Collapsing

First, the Chinese economy is neither barreling toward global supremacy nor rapidly declining to the point of eventual collapse. U.S. debates consistently frame Chinas economic future in extreme terms collapse or colossus but experts cant seem to decide on which one, fueling a bevy of competing policy options.

The best way to look at the Chinese economy is to acknowledge its large size and consistent growth, while also recognizing that it faces both immediate and structural challenges. Beijing is essentially a vibrant and active middle-age person who confronts the risk of both a heart attack and cancer at the same time.

Crucially, however, Beijings actions in recent years indicate it has the resources and toolkit to manage these risks, or at least to push them off into the future. Financial risk, which is arguably the most likely catalyst for a crisis, is mitigated by the strong balance sheets of state-owned banks, a heavily managed capital account, and ample liquidity provisions by the central bank. Structural challenges, like Chinas shrinking workforce and aging population, will constrain China, but the leadership hopes to grow or innovate out of them.

Chinese policymakers have thus far managed these risks by doing four hard things simultaneously: rebalance from the old growth drivers of exports and investment to consumption and services; move up the manufacturing value chain by investing in technology and pursuing an ambitious decarbonization agenda to boost the green economy; reduce accumulating financial vulnerabilities, even as they slowly open the financial system and further develop capital markets; and retain a floor under economic output to ensure employment growth andrising living standards.

Beijing has been able to maintain this delicate balance in large part due to its ability to proactively identify and address the most immediate risks, to set priorities, and then mobilize resources to address problems. Of course, the consistent growth of the economy which notably outperformed all others in 2020 makes managing all of these easier.

Whether Beijing can successfully maintain this steady state is the 64,000 renminbi question. Xi has turned his back on the broad logic of market reforms, and the efficacy of his more statist growth model wont be proved one way or the other for several years. In the meantime, policymakers have to contend with an aging population and shrinking workforce, a private sector contending with the reassertion of the state, and an international environment that is increasingly wary of Chinese investment. All of this while Beijing pushes for the country to become dominant and self-reliant in a range of key technologies, from semiconductors to artificial intelligence.

Looking at the challenges Beijing faces in the next decade, a far more realistic scenario than collapse or a surge ahead is for China to continue a prolonged period of muddling through. This would be characterized by growth settling into the low single digits, as Xis statist policies put downward pressure on productivity gains and policymakers contend with an aging society and a shrinking workforce. China will continue to be an important global player given its sheer scale, but much of its great power economic luster may fade away.

Central Planning Versus Central Execution

A second myth is that China has a grand plan for its future out to 2049 and one that will virtually guarantee its status as a great power. The reality is far more modest.

If there is one thing the Chinese Communist Party is good at, its churning out plans. There are five-year economic plans, industry plans, provincial plans, plans for the development of specific technologies, plans for modernizing the military, and if Xis 2017 speech at the last big party conclave is to be taken at face value, there is a plan to guide the countrys development through 2049.

However, formulating plans and implementing plans, especially over long time horizons, are two very different things. And while its true that Chinas authoritarian system undoubtedly gives it an edge over democratic market economies in defining goals and channeling resources toward them, the output of Beijings thicket of market-based and planned moves is often policy errors, local discontent, bad investments, and growing foreign opposition from countries and companies to Beijings policies. Chinas leaders have been able to absorb these inefficiencies especially the bad investments in large part due to Chinas growth momentum and Xis political control. But, going forward, it is very doubtful absorbing and ignoring these inefficiencies can be sustained for too much longer.

Almost all of Chinas plans succeed in the sense that Beijing never admits defeat, but its hard to rectify the idea of effectiveness of multigenerational planning with the overwhelming evidence of capital miscoordination, bureaucratic infighting, resource siphoning, overcapacity, and white elephant infrastructure projects that are part and parcel of Chinas actual, existing political economy. If planning the present is so difficult, how is Beijing supposed to plan the economys trajectory out several decades?

None of this is meant to deny the diversity of challenges China presents to the United States today economically, technologically, or militarily. Chinas accomplishments in all three arenas have been impressive, and the United States needs to do far better at competing in these arenas. Rather, our point is that Xis plans are increasingly ambitious and reflect risky bets, and Chinas ability to absorb future mistakes is probably declining. As Tom Fingar and Jean Oi of Stanford University argue, Chinas future is neither inevitable nor immutable.

That said, it is also worth keeping in mind that China doesnt need to fully succeed in any of its big endeavors for the global ripple effects to be significant. Even partial success or partial failure can fundamentally change entire global industries and supply chains, for better or worse. Even China as a partial power, as David Shambaugh described it, will change the world.

Taiwan Timelines

Third, there are as many myths about Chinas external behavior as there are about its domestic policy. One of the most common is: Xi is deeply nervous about Taiwans future and is set to invade Taiwan in the next two to three years. In fact, former national security adviser H.R. McMaster suggested this in recent testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

This is a misreading of Chinas calculus toward Taiwan and the current situation in cross-strait relations. Chinas top leaders have long viewed the Taiwan problem as fundamentally a political problem, not a military one. Their consistent preference has been, first and foremost, to deter independence rather than to compel unification by force. They have deployed a mix of coercion and incentives to do so, and recent military activities around Taiwan reflect this.

Beijings strong preference is to create a situation in which the people of Taiwan and their leaders recognize their future is inevitably tied with the mainland, and then negotiate a reunification deal on Beijings terms. The Xi administrations undermining of Hong Kongs political and legal autonomy serves only to make Taiwan more resistant to Beijings overtures. This means Beijing will need to rely even more on coercion and political warfare to achieve its goal of reunification. This reality, more so than armed conflict, is the near-term challenge U.S. policymakers need to be focused on.

Even in the context of rising cross-Strait tensions, there is little evidence that Xi is uniquely anxious about Taiwan now and preparing an all-out invasion of Taiwan in the next two to three years. All Chinese leaders have to talk tough, and Xi is no exception. But he has never set a clear deadline. The closest he came was in a January 2019 speech linking the achievement of national rejuvenation with Taiwan reunification. The timetable for rejuvenation is still some 30 years off in 2049 (when Xi would be 96). This sounds more like political posturing by Xi within CCP circles than formal planning. Most recently, last weeks annual meeting of the National Peoples Congress did not signal any urgency and instead used stock language on Taiwan, which is unlike last year when comments by senior leaders hinted at a questioning or even a movement away from peaceful reunification as a goal.

Invading Taiwan remains an extraordinarily risky and costly action and, in the next two to three years, it would come at a crucial time for Xis big domestic agenda. It is the one move that could short-circuit Xis vision of national rejuvenation any military action short of complete victory would be a loss. Even if an invasion succeeded, China would then have to occupy Taiwan and seek to pacify its 24 million citizens, gutting Taiwans economy in the process, including its strategically significant high-tech sector.

Whereas experts continue to debate whether China has the military capability in the next few years to invade fully and occupy Taiwan, there is broad agreement that the Peoples Liberation Army has made substantial strides in developing a wide range of capabilities across the spectrum of conflict that it lacked in the last crisis in 1995 and 1996. Whether China possesses the ability for a military invasion or is close to it, the risk calculus remains complex major military action will be far from a no-brainer. The U.S. military is increasingly focused on improving warfighting capabilities in East Asia, including doing much more with its Asian allies. All of this will enhance deterrence.

The most immediate challenge for U.S. policymakers is Chinas coercion strategy, which seeks to shape outcomes in Taiwan by means short of outright aggression. While many of Beijings recent efforts to affect Taiwans domestic political environment have backfired, Taiwans people, as well as its political, economic, and military institutions, are nonetheless coming under increasing stress. Washington needs to be attentive to a loss of confidence by the people of Taiwan in their future, or a loss of faith in U.S. reliability, producing a resignation that their future is with the mainland. In response, Washington needs to do more to enhance Taiwans resilience and diversification in the face of these pressures.

Wag the Dog?

A fourth and related myth is that if Chinas economy slows and domestic challenges accumulate, then Xi will lash out and start a war, perhaps over Taiwan. This notion is inconsistent with Chinas current political realities or its longstanding strategic calculus about external aggression.

As the clich holds, the Chinese Communist Partys first priority is the preservation of power, and the surest way to aggravate political instability over a slowing economy would be to prioritize a military action that would further deplete scarce resources and increase foreign pressure on China. For Xi personally, the surest way to undermine his grand ambitions would be to risk a war at the expense of domestic prosperity and with mixed popular support. Xi clearly has a higher risk tolerance than previous leaders, but there is no evidence that he is reckless.

More realistically, social discontent and economic malaise within China would bury the Chinese Communist Party senior leadership in domestic burdens, likely at the exclusion of foreign policy. Overseas lending would likely shrivel up, and Chinese corporates would find it even more difficult to invest abroad. As we saw in the early days of the most recent domestic crisis, the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, Chinese foreign policy became focused on using diplomacy to generate foreign support indeed, accolades and praise to bolster a beleaguered Chinese Communist Party leadership.

Historically, Chinas leaders have sought to reduce external risk during periods of domestic turmoil. Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping pursued resolution of border disputes when they faced challenges at home, such as after the Great Leap Forward in the late 1950s, the nationwide protests in the spring of 1989, and the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Chinas more assertive foreign policy has coincided with periods in which Beijing has felt confident and assured at home, not weak and vulnerable.

Reports of Engagements Demise

A fifth and final myth at the heart of U.S. debates is that the past U.S. policy of engagement was a complete failure, based on a naive hope that China would reform politically and economically. This is a distortion of both the previous U.S. approach and current challenges from China.

U.S. strategy toward China has not been based solely on engagement for over 25 years. Beginning in the mid-to-late 1990s, U.S. strategists began recognizing the downside risks of Chinas economic and military power, and policymakers responded accordingly. This began with the Nye Initiative in the mid-1990s to revitalize the U.S.-Japanese alliance. Since then, U.S. policy has been a mix of engaging China to shape its views, but also hedging the risks of a stronger and recalcitrant China. President Barack Obamas Asia Pivot strategy was a clear expression of this dual track approach, including with targeted investments in military capabilities and pulling allies closer.

Moreover, Americas engagement policies dialogue, cultural exchanges, etc. were not based on a naive certainty that China would liberalize politically and economically. Certainly, one can find rosy public statements linking engagement with Chinese reform, but its revisionist to claim that this was the foundation for U.S. policy and strategy. Successive U.S. presidents Republican and Democratic believed, rightly, that the best strategic bet for the United States was to try to shape China to be more open at home and responsible abroad, and then adjust its strategy if that reality did not materialize. Xi made clear that such changes were not going to occur, and U.S. policy has been adjusting ever since. The nature and scope of those adjustments are the subject of current debates.

The outright rejection of engagement as one policy tool, within a broader toolkit, to shape China also ignores the debates it prompted within China. Throughout much of the 1980s and 1990s, both liberal reformists and more conservative authoritarians battled over the future direction of the country.

Finally, engagement itself remains essential to the success of more competitive strategies and policies. The United States needs its allies and partners to effectively compete with China, but none of those countries in both Europe and Asia wants to be drawn into a Cold War or be forced to make stark choices between one side or the other. Washington needs engagement and dialogue to reassure both China and Americas allies that while the United States will defend its interests, it also wants to bound competition, reduce mistrust, and remain open to cooperation.

Thus, by pursuing such tools of engagement, the United States can forge stronger and more enduring coalitions to compete with China on those issues, such as technology and global governance, that require collective action. Whats more, unless one is prepared to advocate the complete and total isolation of China, including a full decoupling from its economy, then really what is being debated is how much engagement to pursue and in what circumstances.

Breaking Myths, Making Policy

As the United States and China enter this new era of intense and diverse strategic competition, the American debate about the nature and scope of the China challenge is seminal. Dispensing with these five myths is a first step to setting the empirical foundation for a more informed debate about China strategy and U.S.-Chinese relations as this new era unfolds.

U.S.-Chinese ties today have a feel of the early stage of the Cold War: Perceptions are hardening fast but neither Washington nor Beijing has fully developed its goals, means, or mechanisms for this long-term competition. One critical difference from that era is that the United States knows far more about China today than it did about Moscow back then. Yet, like in the 1940s, U.S. judgements are now subject to intense political pressures. In such a context, the critical task for American leaders and strategists is to right-size the China challenge to ensure that American strategy and policies are based on neither its worst fears nor its naive hopes.

Based on these and other well-informed assessments of Chinese capabilities and its calculus, U.S. strategy needs to reflect an evolving mixture of security balancing, institutional binding, and dialogue and engagement. U.S. strategy toward China needs to do a better job of connecting the problem and the solution and rejecting a one size fits all approach driven by generic ideas like competition, pushback, or regime change. While there is consensus that the United States needs to make deep investments in its own domestic capabilities, there should be a more vigorous debate about where and how it confronts and competes with China internationally. Some highly competitive policies will be needed to blunt and degrade Chinese capabilities, such as in the military and cyber realms. In other domains, U.S. strategy should focus on deterring coercion and aggression, delimiting options, and, where possible, shaping Chinas choices. Yet at the same time, dialogue and engagement are essential to managing competition and preventing crises, while also ensuring strong and consistent international support for such a variegated strategy.

Regardless of where one comes down on the precise mix of policies that the United States and its allies should adopt, the first step is for debate to be based on a cleareyed assessment of China that rejects popular myths and accepts unpopular realities about the countrys capabilities, intentions, strengths and weaknesses. Tilting at windmills is not now, nor has it ever been, the appropriate foundation for good strategy.

Evan S. Medeiros is professor and Penner Family chair in Asian studies at Georgetown Universitys School of Foreign Service and a senior adviser with The Asia Group. He served as senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council from 2013 to 2015.

Jude Blanchette holds the Freeman Chair in China studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Images: China Daily (Photo by Zhang Wei)

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Beyond Colossus or Collapse: Five Myths Driving American Debates about China - War on the Rocks

MALAKAND/ SWAT - Prime Minister Imran Khan said Friday that his government was working for the promotion of technical education and information technology to ensure sustainable economic growth which would ultimately help generate more jobs and empower countrys youth.

Addressing the inauguration function of new block at Malakand University, the Prime Minister said developed nations success was attributed to the priorities, they accorded to quality education, research and knowledge based economy and that is why his government was investing on human resource development for rapid economic growth and generate more employment opportunities.

He said NUML University was providing quality education to thousands of aspiring students and hoped it would soon become on a par with the Oxford University. Al Qadir University would be completed by this September and it would also become a hub of quality education and research works, he added.

The Prime Minister said the countrys wealth had been stolen for the past 30 years and its plunderers had either taken shelter in hospitals or fled away abroad to escape accountability. Happiness, he remarked, could only be achieved by following the right path and serving people with dedication and commitment.

The Prime Minister said there was no short cut in life for achieving goals and all objectives could be achieved through hard work and professionalism, adding aimless life destroyed potential of individuals.

Imran Khan said Pakistan possessed all the potential to become a developed country and great responsibility lied on the educational institutions by bringing intellectual revolution among students as per Quaid e Azam and Allama Iqbals vision.

He said when his government took over the countrys reigns it was facing massive loans burden and bank default and national kitty was almost empty. With the support of friendly countries and his governments strong economic policies, he said, the country was now heading towards a right direction of economic stability and prosperity.

The country, prime minister said had come out of difficult economic situation now and his government had returned a record Rs6.2 trillions interest loans during last two and a half years, whereas, PMLN could only repay Rs3 trillions during the same period. In comparison, his government had returned Rs35 trillion as repayment and loans interests whereas PMLN had paid back only Rs20 trillions, he informed.

The Prime Minister said the government was focusing on mega development projects to generate economic and financial resources. In addition to two mega projects of Bhasha and Mohmand dams to meet energy needs, Ravi City was also being constructed in Lahore to increase revenue and promote economic activities he added.

Priority, he said was being given to the construction industry keeping in view its enormous potential to generate employment opportunities, besides providing low-cost housing to poor, labourers, farmers and have-nots. Thirty industries would be directly benefited from the promotion of construction industry in Pakistan, he added.

Following construction of Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC), he said over 300,000 acres of land would be irrigated in DI Khan and adjoining districts that would bring green revolution in southern districts of the KP.

He said the area on right bank of the River Indus was the most suitable option for Olive plantation and a substantial revenue could be generated by promoting its cultivation, besides, saving hefty revenue being spent on edible oils import.

The Prime Minister also hinted to soon announce a new policy for the further promotion of agriculture sector in the country. Imran Khan said promotion of tourism in the country was the cornerstone of PTI governments policy and the domestic tourism had now taken off, especially in the KP.

He said Malaysia was earning about $20billion, Turkey $40billion, Switzerland from $60billion to $80 billion from tourism and Pakistans northern areas including Gilgit Baltistan and KP have more land than Switzerland where skill sports could be developed to generate substantial revenue for the national kitty

Malaysia, he said had achieved remarkable success by promoting cottage and others industries due to the prudent leadership of its Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohammad. Earlier, the Prime Minister was briefed about salient features of the newly inaugurated block in Malakand University.

Upon his arrival, the Prime Minister was received by Chief Minister KP Mahmood Khan and Vice Chancellor University of Malakand.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday visited state-of-the-art Swat Expressway where he inaugurated three newly constructed tunnels in it. Flanked by Federal Minister for Communication and Works Murad Saeed, the Prime Minister was welcomed by Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shah Farman, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and Director General Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) Maj Gen Kamal Azfar. DG FWO briefed the PM about salient features of the project and said that the 80 kilometers long expressway has seven interchanges, three tunnels measuring 1266 , 271 and 324 meters long respectively. Later the PM visited the sites of new constructed tunnels.

Swat expressway is a gift of PTI Government for people of KP especially for entire Malakand Division comprising districts Swat, Dir Lower, Dir Upper, Chitral Lower, Chitral Upper, Bajaur, Buner and Shangla

The expressway commenced from Karnal Sher interchange Swabi district on Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway and concluded at Chakdara in Dir Lower. Former Chief Minister KP Pervez Khattak had performed its ground breaking on August 25, 2016.

The ECNEC had recently approved acquisition of 10,000 kanal land for 81 kilometers long Swat Expressway Phase-II from Chakdara to Fatehpur Madayn to be constructed with an estimated cost of Rs 37 billion and Rs 20 billion for land cost.

The completion of first phase of Swat Expressway has opened entire Malakand Division for trade, business and tourism besides significantly reduced distance between Peshawar and Swat to nearly two hours and transportation cost. Before construction of the Swat Expressway, about four hours were consumed to reach Peshawar from Mingora Swat due to narrow Malakand Pass.

Kuwait FM meets PM

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan underscored the need for forging deeper economic, trade and investment cooperation between Pakistan and Kuwait. He expressed these views during a meeting with Foreign Minister of Kuwait, Dr Ahmed Nasser Al-Sabah here on Friday.

The Prime Minister appreciated the two countries working closely to ensure ease of travel and enhancing people-to-people linkages. The Kuwaiti Foreign Minister also delivered a letter from the Kuwaiti Prime Minister. The Prime Minister thanked the Kuwaiti leadership for the care afforded to Pakistani expatriates during the pandemic and urged further strengthening of this strong bond of friendship between the two countries.

PM, Attorney General discuss legal, constitutional matters

Attorney General of Pakistan Khalid Javed Khan called on Prime Minister Imran Khan here on Friday.

Legal and Constitutional matters were discussed in the meeting. Also Pir of Sial Sharif, Pir Qasim Sialvi called on Prime Minister Imran Khan here on Friday.

During the meeting, matters regarding the registration of Dargahs (shrines) and the promotion of Islamic teachings were discussed.

See more here:

PM says Rs35 trillion returned as repayment, loans interests - The Nation

Economic and finance ministers have, in the context of the discussion on the economic recovery, exchanged their views on fiscal policy response and the state of play of the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The European Commission presented its Communication to the Council One year since the outbreak of COVID-19: Fiscal policy response. The Commission's view is that fiscal policy needs to remain supportive in 2021 and 2022. The current forecasts also foresee the continued activation of the Stability and Growth Pact's general escape clause in 2022 and its deactivation in 2023. However, the European Commission's spring economic forecast will have to be released before final decisions.

Fiscal policy should maintain a supportive stance in 2022 as well. Despite the start of the vaccination which implies improvements, uncertainties remain high. In this context, it is important that the Member States work together and that a level playing field is ensured for all states. We are all in a difficult situation, and this requires exceptional circumstances and support. Of course, this does not mean that we forgot about medium- and long-term fiscal sustainability, said Minister ircelj.

Ministers had a lengthy discussion on the state of play and way forward on the taxation of the digital economy. In this respect, the European Union expects a consensus-based, global agreement at the OECD level in the middle of this year.

As regards the need for additional revenues following the COVID-19 pandemic, it is expected that the Commission will present a proposal for a digital levy in the first half of 2021 as a new own resource for the EU budget.

On Monday, 15 March, Minister ircelj attended the video conference of the Eurogroup.

Ministers discussed the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected different sectors of the economy unevenly. Tourism, hospitality, and entertainment are certainly among more affected, and their recovery is expected to last longer. In the future, policies will support structural changes, including retraining of employees, which will be, to a large extent, linked to digitalisation. Key challenge for the Member States in the future will be phasing out emergency measures and introducing measures to support the recovery.

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European Union Ministers for Finance and Economy Discussed the Fiscal Policy Response to the COVID-19 Crisis | GOV.SI - Gov.si

On the same day a group of frustrated and unemployed Coloradans organized a message-writing campaign to the media and politicians about unpaid jobless benefits, a group of business leaders voiced their frustrations about a related topic: jobs.

Quality of life actually starts with having a job, Diane Schwenke, president and CEO of the Grand Junction Chamber, said during a news conference hosted by the Colorado Chamber. And we have 150,000 less jobs right now in Colorado than we had before (the pandemic). When it comes to things like being able to sustain our economy moving forward, it starts with businesses and it starts with jobs.

But on the other hand, getting hired at one of the thousands of openings statewide has been hit and miss. Angela Ashlock, who organized the message campaign, said shes just had her first interview in a year but didnt get a follow up.

Honestly, I dont know what Im going to return to because all these companies say theyre hiring, and theyre actually not and thats really frustrating, Ashlock said. I dont know what people are supposed to say and do because were all trying to get jobs and none of us are even getting interviewed.

There were 82,225 openings posted on the states official job board Friday, up from around 70,000 in January. Nearly half are location-neutral, which means one can work from home. Many listings are for companies based out of state and hunting for workers who live anywhere.

I dont doubt there are job openings in Colorado. But when I asked for feedback from readers back in January, I heard the numbers and jobs dont add up.

Its easy to boast (thousands of) jobs if you never remove old jobs, or list the same job 15 times, said one woman who didnt want to be named. (She has since found a job, which started with an Indeed.com post.)

Shes right. A new job at Oracle for a remote Content Designer, for example, was posted on the state job board 116 times on Friday.

So, who really is hiring out there? If youre an employer, share some hiring insight. And if youre a job seeker, share your job-hunting experience by emailing tamara@coloradosun.com.

Staffing agencies like Kelly Services have been around forever. I guess that means theyre working for people. And they literally are working for people because job-placement agencies place skilled workers with employers, who end up paying the agency. (Anyone have experience with these? Let me know.)

But if you dont have needed skills or even a resume, consider an organization like Focus Points Family Resource Center in Denver. Theyre the same nonprofit organization behind Comal, a restaurant/food incubator offering training in culinary arts and business management to immigrants and refugees.

Its Workforce program coordinates with employers to train and place immigrants and refugees and had its biggest placement year in 2020, placing 75% of candidates.

That included stories of a janitor getting an IT certificate and getting a job at a tech company to Venezualan asylum seekers returning to their career field in the labs at Colorado Serum Company. Whitney Wise, Focus Points education and economic opportunity workforce manager, credits the success stories to a personal approach and the right partners.

As a result of the strong partnerships we have made, which specifically fit our participants professional goals, weve been able to continue to place participants in meaningful roles despite economic challenges and higher unemployment rates throughout the pandemic, she said in an email. This is also the reason for our high retention rates we are serving in a customized manner that bridges the gap between job seeker and employer.

>> Details

The reinstatement on Feb. 1 of work-search activity as a requirement for unemployment benefits, doesnt mean one must apply for jobs each week. You can opt for job training, too. Participating in job-related skills development activities also counts, CDLE says. Heres more details on approved activities.

Some suggestions? Goodwill of Colorado, which considers its thrift stores a means to an end, has a vast number of job-training opportunities statewide. But options are different by region, said Bradd Hafer, a company spokesman.

In the Pikes Peak region, Goodwill partners with a company called Medcerts to offer IT training through an 18-week program. While classes are currently virtual, its usually an in-person experience so students must be nearby. At the end, students can leave with an A+ certification to help land a job as help-desk technician or in other entry-level technical roles (starting salaries are $38,000, according to Medcerts).

Classes and certifications are free for participants, Hafer added.

The Denver area has BankWork$, which provides free training in the financial services and who want a career in the banking industry. The Colorado AgrAbility program, a partnership with CSU Extension, provides resources for aging farmers and ranchers or people with disabilities who want to work on a farm. Theres a number of Goodwill programs listed on its services page, plus a link to all available jobs at the organization.

More training options:

Tech boot camps are another option for those who can afford it. CSU extension has partnered with New York company Fullstack Academy to provide intense training on cybersecurity and coding for 26-week sessions. Tuition is $11,490 and scholarships are available. >> Details

Pikes Peak Workforce Center offers online training via Upskill 2020, which is free and open to all Coloradans and counts towards the state job-training requirements. >> Details

Now that weve entered the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the job numbers are still not so great. Colorado Department of Labor and Employment data show more people collected unemployment last week than the prior week. The state said the number of people making a continued claim for the week of March 6 jumped 24.2% from the week before to 257,881.

What we did learn this week was CDLE overestimated and underestimated last years job and jobless numbers. It had to revise unemployment rates for nearly every month in 2020. But the biggest change was Decembers unemployment rate, which is now at 6.9%, from 8.4%.

This wont matter much if youre out of work since the change doesnt impact federal pandemic benefits. But it does make Colorado look better: Instead of having the nations 4th highest unemployment rate in December, we had the 16th highest.

>> STORY: Colorados pandemic job losses not as bad as previously announced

And then there was the audit.

The Colorado Office of the State Auditor released its 2020 report on state government finances and found CDLEs record keeping through July 1 so inadequate, that the auditor put a rare disclaimer on its labor department assessment. Essentially, the auditor couldnt figure out what happened to $1.4 billion in expenditures, or find data to back up which unemployed Coloradans were unpaid or overpaid.

>> READ: Colorado Office of the State Auditors 2020 report

>> STORY: Colorados unemployment system kept inadequate records on who was overpaid or not paid at all, auditor says

Helpful resources:

Colorado College student Emily Sulocha scanned past Whats Working columns and created a single app-like page at coloradounemployment.carrd.co with links to all sorts of resources. (Thanks Emily!) Find housing, legal services, mental health and, of course, jobs aid all in one place. Shes also taking suggestions. >> Check it out

Didnt get your $1,400 stimulus payment yet? Check with the IRS on the status. >> Get my payment

Coming soon: This year, families with children can receive tax credits of up to $3,600 per child as part of the Child Tax Credit expansion under the new American Rescue Plan. But there are exceptions. Get the details from The Suns event with Sen. Michael Bennet, who wants to make the credit permanent. >> Watch

CDLEs unemployment dashboard had an incredible number on Friday: Five seconds to reach a call center agent. Thats way down from the nearly 90 minutes on hold on March 1.

Jessica Hudgins Smith, press secretary for the Division of Unemployment Insurance, said the wait times have declined rapidly. Busiest days are Mondays. Theres also been a 20% drop in complaints about the call center since late February.

I told her I continue to hear from people who say they cant get through or are on hold forever. Smith said she wants to hear from those folks. If thats you, send me the details of the call and Ill forward it. Of course, if the complaint is that the agent just cant answer your question, send that too!

More critical though are the thousands of people still stuck with a fraud hold. Some havent been paid since last year.

Last week, Phil Spesshardt, acting director of the states Unemployment Insurance Division, said there were 4,000 accounts still under investigation even after IDme. The majority had an information mismatch. (Some readers have shared that a mis-entered routing number to a bank account, a different phone number on a credit report and other typos were to blame for their frustrating holds.)

Smith said that number is always in flux as people use IDme but some end up with a mismatch. According to the CDLE dashboard, 14,006 identities were verified on IDme in the past week and $8.1 million was paid. But CDLE doesnt share the number of Holds Released on its dashboard anymore. Its been replaced by Identities Verified.

As weve mentioned before, not all payment holds will be resolved through ID.me. Other issues may be holding up payment, so we felt Holds Released needed to be revised to better describe this population, Smith said. Staff work on these mismatches each day with some more complex issues than others with the complexity determining the time to resolve and the type of additional investigation that is required.

Some good news: The Double dip issue that denies federal benefits to folks who are now in year two of unemployment is getting close to being fixed. One reader shared a letter she received this week from CDLE letting her know it was resolved. Since shed already certified for several past weeks, the payments were sent immediately.

What struck me was that CDLE told her about it. I asked Smith if this is a new practice?

It depends on the size of the population impacted, she said.

If too many people are impacted, then communication goes out by mass email, dashboard updates, press releases or another town hall. But, she added, We continue to look for areas to segment claimants that allow us to more specifically target our communications.

The federal Paycheck Protection Program ends March 31. But with $100 billion still available, Congress may extend the deadline to May 31 and give the Small Business Administration an extra month to continue processing loans. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the PPP Extension Act of 2021 earlier this week and it now sits with the Senate.

The loans have helped millions of businesses through the pandemic, including The Colorado Sun. From Jan. 1 to As of March 14, 49,272 small businesses in Colorado were approved for $3.6 billion in loans. (Here are last years statistics for Colorado).

But just as Colorados auditor found that CDLEs failed to sufficiently track federal funds coming and going to unemployed workers, the Paycheck loan program suffered a similar issue. The U.S. Office of the SBA Inspector General said this week that 4,260 borrowers received a PPP loan twice. That cost the government $692 million.

Inspectors used tax IDs and business names and addresses to find the duplicates. The SBA blamed borrowers who applied for PPP loans from more than one lender and said a computer script used to detect duplicates stopped working.

While OIG caught the error about six weeks after the Paycheck program began, the SBA by Aug. 4 had identified 40,209 duplicate loan numbers, though not all loans were funded. It resolved 95% of those and prevented 685,529 more duplications.

The OIGs recommendation? Besides fixing the problem, SBA must not forgive the duplicate loan. Read the report here.

Did you get an SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan or other disaster loan last year? The due date for the first payments was extended for another year to 2022. >> Details

More small biz help:

Facebook has partnered with the Colorado Chamber of Commerce to share tips, tools and strategies on how to use tech to grow ones business. The free event, called Boost with Facebook, is March 23 at 10 a.m. Diana Doukas, Policy Manager at Facebook, offered a sneak peak with this tip: Best practices for Facebook ads are to test different photos, headlines, and other creative to see which has the highest performance, and delivers the most value. Also, check out Facebook Blueprint, which offers 90 free courses in online advertising and marketing. >> Details and RSVP

A 14-week fellowship for underrepresented female tech entrepreneurs of color? Thats the pitch of startup Visible Hands, which seeks aspiring founders for the full-time but all virtual program. The Boston startup is tackling the venture-capital funding gap full of overlooked women and people of color. You dont even need an idea or a tech background. The goal is to invest in the person, not the company. In exchange for a bit of equity, founders get dedicated company building, $25,000 and up to $175,000 in possible pre-seed investments (more in the FAQs). Want to take a shot? Applications are opening soon. >> Details

I have no idea how many people actually read to this line, but thanks to any loyal readers. This column is for you. Im always interested in hearing your stories about unemployment, job hunting or hiring and the economics of surviving in Colorado. Email me at tamara@coloradosun.com. I dont respond to all emails especially those addressed to someone else but if I can help share what I know, I try to. ~tamara

Original post:

What's Working: Colorado's job board has 82000 openings. But are they real? - The Colorado Sun

CityNews and OMNI News have launched a new investigative seriesBehind Closed Doorsdetailing the epidemic of family violence plaguing our communities. If you or someone you know is a victim of abuse, please visitour dedicated resource page.

WARNING: This story contains graphic content related to violence and abuse, and may be disturbing to some readers.

The names and identities of the victims in our stories have been changed to protect them.

Their stories and circumstances arent unique. Thousands more are being silenced as their trauma continues daily behind closed doors. These are just some of their first-hand accounts.

To watch this story in Punjabi, click here.

Veena* still remembers the day her youngest was born the second of two girls, a loving addition to the family. As was custom, she called family members abroad to inform them.

The proud mother expected congratulations. Instead, the relative on the other end of the line voiced disappointment.Another girl this time? Its okay. Maybe next time.

Its a sentiment Veena has come up against more than once, often neglected and chastised for not bearing sons.

In the society we live in, its thought that having a son is very important, in every home, says Veena.

Even after moving to Canada as an immigrant, Veena says she still has to deal with many of the cultural and societal pressures she thought shed left behind.

For a mother, all her children are equal, be it a boy or girl, said Veena.

The mother of a girl, no matter how smart she is, shes seen as less than the mother of a son. They think if a woman gives birth to a boy, shes done something out of this world, something extraordinary. These things still happen in our society.

Veena has learned to stand up to the taunts and emotional coercion that sometimes accompany her decision to not have more children, but says the judgement can come from even the most loving and well-meaning family members.

Even the people who I know have my best interests at heart say its essential to have a son in the family. Everyone tells me to try again, said Veena.

She knows other women in the same boat whose mental health has been negatively impacted by the emotional abuse of these outdated expectations.

Obviously, it stresses you out. When you have a baby, a lot changes youre going through physical changes. You have to take care of a new baby. On top of that, when you hear this stuff, it disturbs you at the mental level.

She recounts one particular incident where she was at a celebration for her friend and her new baby girl.

An elderly lady came to her and said, Didnt you get her gender checked during your pregnancy? She was implying that if shed gotten it checked, that she wouldve gotten an abortion.

In some communities, dangerous generational perceptions have been passed down males are seen as superior, tied to a familys resources and economic outcomes.

Its a phenomenon Dr. Kanwaljit Dhillon, therapist and social worker, has often seen play out in the South Asian clients she sees in particular, and it comes with its own history.

Thousands of years ago, when there was an agrarian-based economy, particularly in Punjab, boys were expected to engage in agriculture and farming growing up, says Dhillon.

All of the property would be in a mans name. So some girls grow up surrounded by that mentality, the patriarchal mindset.

The bias even creeped into her own home growing up, as one of three sisters.

Ive seen my own mother flail and cry in her extreme longing for a son. Shes 90 years old now, and still in her heart she feels the absence of a son, and talks about it, says Dhillon.

These outdated patriarchal beliefs arent unique to South Asians. The phenomenon takes a startling form in cultures around the world, due in part to colonialism, according to Dhillon.

Experts say that undue pressure can be oppressive for mothers and daughters alike, even going so far as taking away womens agency in bearing children.

More alarmingly, some are pressured to the point of aborting a female fetus, to avoid reprisals and emotional abuse.

Commonly referred to as sex-selective abortions, the practice of terminating a pregnancy based on the sex of the fetus, is measured through the ratios between numbers of male and females born over a period of time.

Last year, researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, projected an estimated 6.8 million fewer female births would be recorded across India in particular by 2030, due to a preference for sons.

Closer to home, a study led by St. Michaels Hospital in 2018 found sex ratios biased towards sons have been identified in several Asian countries, most notably in several provinces in China and northern states of India, but also in Vietnam and Pakistan.

In some communities, that ratio is levelling out: specifically in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and Bangladesh.

One of the co-authors of the study was social epidemiologist and postdoctoral fellow at Sick Kids Hospital, Susitha Wanigarante. She worked alongside community partners to understand the preferential determinants driving the practice of sex selection in the GTA.

Taking a multi-method approach, the study focused particularly on immigrant and second generation South Asian women in Ontario and included focus groups with multi-generational families.

When asked why they believed male bias was such a prevalent part of the culture, Wanigaratne said many participants pointed to the classic heteronormative family structure and how it financially rewards men.

When sons marry, they often continue to live with their families with their parents there. The wife comes to live with the family and because the son stays with his parents, he often inherits land and other assets because he stays with his parents. Hes often considered old age security for them because he holds those resources. Whereas kind of the opposite happens for daughters. When she is married, she leaves the home.

That misconception persists even as Indo-Canadian women take on more jobs and support their families for longer.

Capitalist structures have a lot of disadvantages, but at least capitalism gave women some power to be able to navigate modern times as an equal to men. So unless we open up dialogue with women, particularly on an economic level, we cant address the question of why womens status is lower to mens in certain communities, says Dhillon.

Wanigaratnes team also found that in a small selection of women, there was a specific reproductive history that contributed to a slightly higher birth ratio in favour of males who were the second- or third-born in their families.

Its really when women have two previous daughters that theres pressure to try to have a son, she says.

Researchers say there are two ways cultural sex preference can be oppressive. Beyond the issue of sex-selective abortions, there is a significant difference in how mothers and daughters are treated.

I think what is also often lost in the conversation around sex-selective abortions is the oppression and pressure that the women feels to undergo that, Wanigaratne said.

The study was also co-authored by Manvir Bhangu, founder and director of Laadliyan, a non-profit that works to empower South Asian daughters and their families through engagement, education and awareness.

I always say that we dont know whats going on behind closed doors, said Bhangu.

We present ourselves in a way where were not showing our flaws. And I think thats where its really dangerous because a lot of our community members are, as a result, suffering from mental health, from other issues, from violence against women.

Bhangu also works with Punjabi Community Health Services, which runs the Better Families program aimed at providing family counselling. She says the program sees about 150 clients a year who identify as women. Of those, nearly 20 per cent reported facing direct or indirect pressure to bear sons.

There is coercion, there is violence, there is abuse, Bhangu said.

Definitely its not happening everywhere, but its prevalent. And its something that I think a lot of us who belong to that community and belong to that culture have experienced either directly or indirectly. Although it may not be physical violence, I think violence has many forms.

The preference for sons can be a common sentiment in some communities, creating undue pressure. The tradition is especially prevalent in parts of South and East Asia where the preference has been historically passed down by older generations, reinforced by traditional gender roles.

Elders always say a son is essential, said Veena.

Thats ingrained in them. They pass this down to their kids, and it spreads. Thats the message we convey to them. Its a long-term impact. If your parents and your household feel this way, thats going to stay in the kids minds for a long time.

Wanigaratne goes on to explain how the power dynamic between sons and daughters continues to shift with the idea of continuing a familial lineage and traditional gender roles in cultural celebrations like weddings and funerals. She says participants noted parents could face public humiliation for not being able to produce a son.

The mothers and the grandmothers that we spoke to describe that once they had sons, they were often treated much better in their families and also by the community, Wanigaratne said.

So they actually got, or felt like they received, more respect and that was important to them obviously. But then the opposite happened with having daughters. Within the family they may be treated poorly by both their families and their communities.

That poor treatment can come in many forms. Dhillon, who also runs the community A Group of Punjabi Women where these discussions come up frequently, says theres reason for alarm.

Abuse comes in verbal and non-verbal forms. Non-verbally, for example, if theres a son born in a home, the atmosphere of that home is completely different to one where a girl is born. Even though her birth wouldnt be looked down upon, it wouldnt be welcomed either, she says.

Preference towards having a son can push families to extremes, with some mothers pressured to abort their pregnancy at an early stage if they find out theyre having a girl.

In the GTA, thats an extreme measure taken rarely, but researchers say the women they spoke with faced immense pressures throughout their reproductive lives.

In the case of sex-selective abortion, what really came through in our discussions was that it was less about a personal choice and more really that these women often feel just really immense pressure to have a son, Wanigaratne said.

Wanigaratnes research found that a majority of participants who already had two daughters were either having a son as their next child or getting abortions to prevent a third pregnancy.

If they had an abortion [after their second child], three sons were born to every one daughter. But if a woman didnt have an abortion between the second and the third child, the sex ratio was normal, Wanigaratne said.

Some countries and cities around the world have taken action to put an end to sex-selective abortions. While it is not illegal in Canada, early last year a Saskatchewan MP introduced the Sex-Selective Abortion Act in the House of Commons.

Just last month, John Williamson, Conservative MP for New Brunswick South, also tabled a petition to call on parliament to outlaw sex selective abortions.

Wanigaratne says these legislative approaches have already been proven to fail.

In other places in the United States, as well as India, theyve tried, Wanigaratne said.

Theyve attempted sex-selective abortion bans and they found that ultimately, like if they do an analysis before and after a ban is put in place, they find that sex ratios are equally biased before and after a ban is put in place.

She also warned that legislative requirements for a medical practitioner to restrict access to reproductive services based on assumed motive would create more problems than it would solve.

From a practical perspective, that will incentivize practitioners to try to find out why women are seeking an abortion. Right now, women dont need to provide that information. I think it will cause further distrust between medical practitioners and women.

Wanigaratne also believes that a sole focus on legislation fails to address the nuances and root issues around male bias.

That approach doesnt come from a place of humility and understanding so I think thats where we need to start, Wanigaratne said.

A patriarchal approach to addressing problems that are specific to racialized communitiesthe solution is not going to be effective.

Though the issue of male bias has cultural ties, legislation around it is often passed with little community consultation.When we worked with community members, many of them didnt realize that those studies had been done, Wanigaratne said.

[They said] that the media and the Canadian community around them knew that that was happening, but it didnt make it into more culturally relevant media outlets that they would commonly listen to. So even the information was not getting to them, which is not something that I realized at the time.

The United Nations Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency recently profiled how South Korea was one of the only countries in the world to have faced high sex ratio imbalance, and then completely eliminate it.

Though abortion was illegal in the country, experts noted that it was a frequently used practice for decades, as fetal sex screening technologies were also introduced.

To address the common problem of son preference, which led to many more boys over girls born in the nation, womens rights groups pushed for reforms, including inheritance rights and job access.

The changes in policy pushed by feminist movements in Korea, also impacted culture.

Norms dont change in 50 or 100 years. Theres thousands of years of ingrained mindset, surroundings, social and economic conditions, family dynamics and culture that decide these things for us, said Dhillon.

The focus groups and data thats been collected in the GTA, has also been used to respond to the issue, creating a community advisory panel that as a first step, developed info posters for the community.

A lack of up-to-date information is what Bhangu believes allows outdated value systems like male bias to continue, without intended malice.

I think this is just their lack of knowledge and I think its just the way that they were brought up. They didnt know any better, says Bhangu

When it comes to creating long-standing change, Bhangu believes it starts with education and awareness. Its a key focus of her organization, Laadliyan, a term referring to beloved daughters in Punjabi.

Were working with grandmothers, were working with mothers, were working with little girls, high school girls, and even trying to engage fathers as much as we can, Bhangu said.

What Im doing with my organization is really getting the word out there that, especially in todays time and age or day and age, its not like it was back home.

Bhangu said the organization has already seen great progress.

I think as time has gone by, theres been more openness. There has been more ability and willingness from the community to learn and to engage. Bhangu said.

Veena has been able to see how powerful a change in mindset can be first hand. Growing up in India with only sisters, Veena said her parents ignored the cultural gender bias around them, raising them with pride.

Now having daughters of her own being raised far from that mindset, Veena said she does her best to pass down that same message, telling her girls how capable they are.

The ladies in the village used to say, you must pray to god for a brother. God listens to kids. But my parents taught me what I taught my girls.

I always tell my daughters that theyre no less than a son. They have to do things beyond any son would.

With files from Mahnoor Yawar and Loveen Gill

Read this article:

Coercion, violence, abuse: the harms of son preference - News 1130

In his first book, City of Refuge: Slavery and Petit Marronage in the Great Dismal Swamp, 1763-1856, Nevius documents the story of marronage (escape from slavery), the slavery-based economy, and the construction of internal improvements in the Great Dismal Swamp.

The vast wetland of the swamp, which spans nearly 2,000 miles, is a stretch of marshland between Norfolk, Virginia, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina. White locals often called the area uninhabitable, and enslavers would send Black Americans to harvest timber from the swamp. Before long, small communities of self-emancipated slaves began to live and work in the Swamp and other remote regions, forming and reforming colonies, said Nevius, and leading to the development of resource-based economies that made the Black resistance communities possible.

Nevius traveled to the Great Dismal Swamp and spent a month researching his book, which he started working on nearly a decade ago as a masters student at North Carolina Central University.

He found his book topic while sitting in a Latin American history course at Central, where they were discussing Black resistance in the Latin American context. He said he found that historians had been studying and writing about marronage, a form of Black resistance in which enslaved Africans would escape into different regions throughout the Caribbean. Eventually, the numbers of these formerly enslaved Africans would grow into communities where they would be able to defend their land. But, Nevius said, he was curious as to why there wasnt as much scholarship about marronage in American history.

History as a profession is notoriously slow, said Nevius. I knew that it was part of the expectation when I chose to pursue it. It just takes a really long time to read what we have to read, to conduct the primary research we have to and be fortunate enough to travel to the places we need to go. And actually have the time to reflect upon that work.

He added, Thats really a process that I believe very deeply in. And even in this world, we need it.

And while some school districts in America are just now beginning to change their history lessons to include the reality of Black resistance, Nevius said there needs to be a concerted effort to emphasize context and historical change over time.

New histories and new lesson plans highlight the ways that slavery shaped our early nation, generating a legacy that carried into the 20th century, said Nevius.

School districts, Nevius explained, have long followed what administrators, school committees and boards decide about which subjects count or have value.

For too long, histories of Black culture have counted for little more than limited discussion during Black History months, as opposed to being central to the way that we approach the history of the United States, said Nevius.

Not teaching how the true history of Black resistance has shaped American policy, politics and policing has led to competing views of American history, Nevius said, and is tied to the political polarization the U.S. sees itself in today.

The history of vigilance and control of Black bodies, rooted in a fear of Black culture as unknown, is in some ways still manifest in antiquated approaches to policing today, said Nevius. But here, too, change is on the horizon.

Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @alexagagosz.

Continue reading here:

Documenting the true history of Black resistance - The Boston Globe

As we begin 2021, businesses face a complex matrix of challenges from rising geo-economic tensions to the urgency of the climate crisis. With less than 10 years to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Decade to Deliver is underway, and leaders must act for impact now.

Transitioning to a holistic circular economic model is critical to reducing environmental degradation and prioritizing biodiversity and nature, while also delivering on future competitiveness. In a circular economy, waste is designed out, and products are instead looped back into the production system at end of use. Consequently, growth is decoupled from the consumption of scarce resources, and materials are kept within productive use for as long as possible.

The circular economy presents a unique market opportunity upwards of $4.5 trillion by 2030. Accelerating this transition relies on the uptake of innovative new business models and disruptive technological innovation. Alongside prioritization of new business models, which now account for roughly 30% of M&A investment according to Accenture analysis, adopting new digital, physical and biological technologies can drive new opportunities and deliver on organizations triple bottom line.

Forging a path to a truly circular economy requires collaboration across the ecosystem. Today, multinational organizations with increasingly complex supply chains and processes can struggle to maintain a pulse on ever-advancing circular innovation, while at times can also lack the capabilities required to embrace new modes of operation in the transition to circular business. By contrast, entrepreneurs have the disruptive solutions to solve these challenges, but may lack the capital, resources or enabling networks to replicate and scale their solutions at pace.

How can we solve this mismatch across the ecosystem? Through successfully connecting multinational actors with disruptive players, stakeholders across the value chain are empowered to fully embrace innovation, to prioritize targeted business models for impact, and respond effectively to new global challenges. The Circulars Accelerator evolved from the highly successful Circulars Awards program is led by Accenture in partnership with Anglo American, Ecolab and Schneider Electric and hosted digitally on the World Economic Forums platform for SDG innovation, UpLink.

The program will connect leading global organizations prioritizing circular innovation with disruptors seeking to scale circular solutions. Through a mutually beneficial program of mentorship, collaborative innovation and strategic alliances, the Accelerators mission is to expedite the global circular transition, creating value and impact for early- to growth-stage innovators and established partners alike, while strengthening the circular ecosystem through action-focused partnership.

The Circulars Accelerator attracted over 200 exciting, unique and diverse entrants in its first call for applications. Following a highly competitive, multi-stage selection process, 17 outstanding start-ups have been selected for participation in the programme. Start-ups are categorized against one of three solution types required for circular transformation, which together collectively span the full value chain and respond to particular circular challenges: Innovating Products and Production, Transforming Consumption and Recovering Value. Examples from each are spotlighted below.

The Innovating Products and Production cluster captures innovators working to design and deliver pioneering products, packaging and manufacturing solutions, harnessing new design approaches and material and ingredient innovation. One such innovator changing the state of play is Malaysia-based innovator, StixFresh, whose patented technology extends the shelf life of fresh produce by up to 14 days. StixFreshs 100% plant-based stickers, the size of a 50-cent coin, biologically reconstruct the self-defence compounds of select fresh fruits, creating a natural barrier to slow down decay reactions caused by bacterial or fungal activity. It is estimated that one third of all food produced globally goes to waste, making reducing food waste the number one solution to fighting the climate crisis.

A step further along the value chain, Transforming Consumption addresses the reality that we currently consume 1.75 times more resources each year than the Earth can naturally regenerate, and we are on course to more than double resource use by 2050. Here, innovators are working to conceptualize new models of circular consumption, including product-as-a-service, product-use extension (e.g. repairs, secondary marketplaces), and sharing platforms. Algramo is a Chilean start-up whose omni-channel, cross-brand platform technology enables brands and retailers to sell goods to consumer using smart reusable packaging for the lowest possible prices. Algramos packaging distribution system incorporates Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to enable innovations such as their patented Packaging as a Wallet technology and IoT-connected vending machines. It is estimated that converting 20% of plastic packaging into reuse models presents a $10 billion opportunity, making rethinking packaging both a significant business priority in addition to having environmental imperative.

The Recovering Value cluster prioritizes solutions which close the loop on our existing and no longer fit for purpose take, make, waste linear system. This group of successful innovators have established novel ways to enable product reuse and the recovery of embedded value from waste or end-of-use products. Mint Innovation, an exciting New Zealand-based urban mining company, are developing low-cost, scalable processes for recovering valuable metals from e-waste streams. It is estimated by the UN that over $10 billion of precious metals get disposed of as e-waste annually. Mint Innovations clean processes use hydrometallurgy and biotechnology to minimize this waste stream, and enable a full circular economy in precious metals. Having recently secured $20 million in funding, Mint Innovation plan to commission biorefineries in the UK and Australia; these plants will have the capacity to process up to 3,500 tons of e-waste each year.

Stay in the loop with the impactful circular journeys of Cohort 21 by following The Circulars social media or join the new Circulars Community on UpLink the World Economic Forums digital platform for crowdsourced innovation towards the UN SDGs where you can join the movement by getting involved in challenges, opportunities and dialogues to drive applied innovation at speed and scale.

Join us to welcome the cohort of 2021 and to officially launch The Circulars Accelerator at 14:00 CET on 11 February 2021. You can watch the event here.

Read more:

The circular economy can save the planet if we start innovating now - World Economic Forum

Last January 28, I had the opportunity, on the invitation of the Foundation for National Interest (FNI) and the UP Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea (IMALOS), to participate as a panelist in the fifth Kwentong Mandaragat webinar series which focused on the Philippine Blue Economy: Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Marine Economic Development. The webinar centered on optimizing the benefits and opportunities offered by the archipelagic configuration of the country and at the same time identify measures to address the increasing threats to the sustainability of the marine ecosystem.

The problems affecting our maritime domain are varied as they are complex and which continue to escalate due to neglect by and apathy of those who are bestowed the task of protecting the maritime space and by those who either carry out their trade at sea or who exploit the countrys marine resources and bounty. Illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing or IUU which include the use of unsustainable fishing methods, discharge of harmful and noxious substances into the marine environment, marine litter, and other practices continue to exact severe damage to the seas and marine resources.

Still, it is reassuring some care to save and revive the health of the archipelagos waters; and for them there is no backtracking, only going forward in trying to nurse back an ailing marine environment. The FNI and the UP-IMALOS brought together subject matter experts who shared their respective agencies/organizations initiatives, plans, and programs aimed at promoting the blue economy concept, as an essential approach to an archipelago like the Philippines.

Once again, the widely-held perception about this archipelagos remarkable bias towards terrestrial-based national planning was articulated by the panelists. Could this explain why there are not many who go into marine-related professions? Alternatively, would the dearth of practitioners and experts on marine-related undertaking contributory to the diminishing advocacies towards sea-based national development planning?

Expanding the maritime human resource beyond seafaring

As a maritime nation, the Philippines may have overlooked, maybe unintentionally, one of its most important assets its maritime human resource. Who are they? Where are they? If we concede that the Philippines is a maritime nation then it follows that every Filipino should be considered as potentially belonging to the countrys maritime human resource.

The concept that seafarers are the only maritime professionals in this archipelago is misleading. Numerous marine-related professions, jobs, and livelihood are available, although seafaring appears to be most appealing to the young population. Not even naval architecture could come close to attracting an equal number of academic enrollees.

There is no need to publicize the seafaring career because attracting young students to join the merchant marine profession is prompted by following the footsteps of a seafarer in the family, sometimes even by neighbors who had it good as a shipboard crew. The dream of becoming a seafarer is rooted in the mind of the young due to their wide exposure to the many seafarers this country has produced.

How do we get the young Filipino attracted to marine-related careers other than in the merchant marine profession? There are close to a hundred maritime higher education institutions offering merchant marine education as compared to the few higher education academies with marine-science or oceanography or fisheries programs, mostly by State universities and government-run schools. The low enrolment rate for the non-seafaring programs hinders privately-operated schools from offering the same.

Maybe it is about time agencies tasked with the function of overseeing the marine-based economy including those with a specific mandate of developing a maritime human resource to seriously consider changing mindsets fixed on seafaring by launching a sustained program of informing the population of the opportunities offered by this maritime nation, of the critical need to fill marine-based jobs and undertaking.

For the Philippines to be truly a maritime nation requires developing Filipinos who think maritime!

Originally posted here:

Building on the blue economy The Manila Times - The Manila Times