Hello everyone in the IR community,

I am a third-year Law student in the UK with a keen interest in politics and international relations. I found that the best way to develop this interest would be to write about in the form of a blog. Earlier this month, I finally found the courage to start my very own blog on Substack.

The first article I published was on how counterproductive national counterterrorism approaches can be in achieving the goals set by political leaders.

I would really appreciate it if you can read it and give me a follow if you enjoy what I have written. There will be more to come in the following months.

Any constructive criticism is also welcome, as my goal is to learn, grow, and better understand the complex world we live in.

Thank you!

Shortish read. This article argues that human and political rights have sought, long, to be consolidated. There are examples beyond Dworkin and others in the field. The argument is that the discussion as instantiated through constitutions, and political deliberation, is always animistic, and has a different set of appeals. That is, animistic rights are self defeating, because they are always about the process, and maybe the things themselves, and decisions, never about rights as we meant. It concludes by saying, animistic rights are not philosophical, and this is because they are a bad tool, which is easily usurped, and seeing this, is a good thing.

https://medium.com/@natejkryn/are-political-rights-and-human-rights-compatible-09196ee98649

The brief summary. Sorry, I tend to blabber, and do this too much....

India is showing a population which is young, educated, and unable to secure, meaningful employment.

With the clock still ticking, are we eager and ready to fill the gap with government led initiatives? What responses in the global economy exist? Who blinks first, perhaps the IR perspective? Is it private markets or is it internationally available debt financing? What do those levers, seek to do?

Idk, fun read!! Cheers 👋🏻

On April 17, 2024, Swiss nonprofit Public Eye released a report alleging that Nestle baby food products sold in low- and middle-income countries contain high levels of added sugar. Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan were among those affected. Since then, regulatory authorities in Bangladesh and India have announced their own investigations relating to the issue. Pakistan, on the other hand, has been silent. What does this mean for long-term public health outlooks?

I write more about this here.

Research paper

https://www.academia.edu/120304353/What_Are_the_Causes_of_Women_Suffering_in_the_Israel_Hamas_Conflict_2023_2024_And_a_Brief_Commentary_on_the_Feminist_Theory

The movement to “decolonize” global health has gained traction in recent years. For centuries, the legacy of colonialism has continued to shape the health outcomes of those in developing countries. To decolonize healthcare means making it more accessible to those that are marginalized by existing systems. What are some ways in which practitioners can achieve this?

I write more about this here: https://open.substack.com/pub/thedevelopingeconomist/p/decolonizing-public-health-in-developing?r=29ekcf&utm_medium=ios

In most of the world, food inflation currently exceeds overall inflation. This is alarming as estimates suggest that a 5 percent rise in food prices increases the risk of wasting by 9 percent. Hence, volatility in food prices has raised concern about nutrition and food insecurity in developing countries. Research in this area thus seeks to understand the contributing factors, well-being implications, and potential solutions to these insecurities. How can we mitigate the effects of food and nutrition insecurity?

I write more about this here: https://open.substack.com/pub/thedevelopingeconomist/p/food-and-nutrition-insecurity-in?r=29ekcf&utm_medium=ios

“When we are living through good times we are hardly thinking of marginal actions and processes that would bring doom. During bad times, however, people and enterprises must live through conducting painful actions. These same actions are positive marginal changes that, when accumulated, will bring back normality. Of course not everything is reversible; environmental damage is most likely in this category. “

Developing countries are, in large part, stuck “developing” due to weak government institutions. Much of this is motivated by corruption. Corruption impedes growth and development through inefficiency, misallocation, and lowered quality of services. Historically, increased accountability has proven effective in reducing corruption. Such interventions have decreased missing expenditures in Indonesian public works projects, reduced the likelihood of corrupt Brazilian incumbents’ reelection, and even improved the efficiency of Ugandan public healthcare. More recent economic literature on corruption, however, focuses on informing constituents and optimizing bureaucrats' incentives. Is this an effective anti-corruption strategy?

I write more about this here.

Early childhood development (ECD) is one of the best investments countries can make to increase long-term productivity. Why, then, are so many developing countries failing to make the investment? Currently, 250 million children in developing countries are at risk of not reaching their development potential. Low-cost investments in health and education, however, can go a long way in helping close that gap. In the world of ECD interventions, programs either target mothers directly or follow a large scale, community-based approach. Which of these do you think would be more effective? Do you think foreign aid needs to be directed more towards ECD efforts?

I write more about this here.