Marshall is a graduate of Mount Saint Mary’s University where he studied political science and international relations with a focus on international organizations. As a student at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Pubic and International Affairs he studied International Development with a focus on international financial flows such as foreign direct investment and remittances. Marshall’s interest in international financial policy stems from his belief that with proper governance from international organizations the global economy will be strong and lead to growth and increased prosperity for all.
Marshall Kirby
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Institutional Ethics in Non-Profit Donations
March 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Several months ago, news agencies carried stories of “Baby Doc’s” desire to return to Haiti and help the country rebuild. Analysts were widely skeptical of his stated altruistic desires, and rightly so. Jean-Claude Duvalier (aka “Baby Doc”) is the son of the former President of Haiti, “Papa Doc,” and was a former President himself. Before being deposed and exiled, Mr. Duvalier governed in a bloody and corrupt way. Recently, Mr. Duvalier stated publicly his desire to return, and even enlisted a former Congressman from the United States … [Read more...]
Americans Increasingly Skeptical of Globalization, Free Trade
March 10, 2011 By 1 Comment
Americans have become increasingly interested in, and worried about, global trends over the last few years. This should not come as a surprise, considering we have been in the middle of a deep recession, and have been seeing high unemployment at the same time as job outsourcing and high trade deficits. The one thing that is clear is that Americans care about these problems, albeit several years late. According to a recent Washington Post article referencing a poll from January, only around a third of Americans view globalization as a positive … [Read more...]
Paris Declaration and AID in 2011
February 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness was another well-hyped agreement much like the UN Millennium Development Goals. Governments from the developed world pledge their commitment to reforms in development and poverty reduction which make many people optimistic about the future. However, as time continues, more and more people grow disenfranchised with the pace and scale of reforms and other goals. Yet still, there are reasons for all of us to remain optimistic about positive developments it reached in the stated goals and objectives. The … [Read more...]
Unemployment’s Relationship with Poverty from Rich to Poor Countries
February 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment
It doesn’t take an economist to notice that there are key fundamental differences between the economies of developed and developing nations. Obvious key differences tend to be things like strength of currency, inflation, GDP per capita, etc. However, a new study which David Leonhardt of the New York Times (article can be viewed here) picked up from Gallup shows the differing nature unemployment plays in relation to poverty. In the developed world, people clearly associate poverty rates with unemployment. Conventional wisdom follows that as … [Read more...]
Villagers in China Use Traffic to their Economic Advantage
January 26, 2011 By 2 Comments
Traffic jams on Chinese roads have reached legendary stature in recent years. The most extraordinary one occurred in the summer of 2010 outside of Beijing in which a 60 mile backup occurred, stranding travelers and crippling the flow of traffic for well over 2 weeks. Although not as large in size, a traffic jam in China’s southern province of Guizhou caused by unusual snow fall has caught the attention of the international media. The New York Times picked up this story, not due to the traffic incident, but rather the unique way local villagers used … [Read more...]
Global Poverty Worsens as Priorities Shift
January 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The World Bank released some stark headlines today detailing the impacts of the financial crisis and the resulting global economic downturn. In their report, they explain that the $80.6 billion spent was not enough. Even with the large sum of money lent to developing countries, there will be ramifications to poverty levels for years to come. Estimates from the report are very stark – globally there will be 64 million more people that fall into extreme poverty this year. The extreme poverty mark is measured by those who earn an income of less … [Read more...]
This Lame Duck Session Could End Up Really Lame for Developing Countries
December 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment
So much of political and policy news coverage since the midterm elections has been spent on actions the lame duck session of Congress have taken up – specifically as it relates to the extension of the “Bush Tax Cuts.” While the tax cut issue has ramifications for nearly all taxpaying Americans, there is one issue which could have devastating effects on developing countries and has not received nearly enough coverage. This issue is the extension of trade agreements the US has with nearly 130 developing countries. The Andean Trade Preferences … [Read more...]
Financial Reform and G20
December 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The G20 Summit in Seoul, South Korea has taken up the issue of financial regulation in their sessions over the last week. Most of you who are reading this have most likely read my earlier entries on the issue of regulating banks and the financial sector both domestically and abroad. This issue, while not as glamorous as other issues which are being discussed in global economic policy, has massive implications for every country and their people. The G20 leaders have agreed on the importance of a strong regulatory regime in the global financial … [Read more...]
Bretton Woods III: New Reserves and Gold Back In the Mix
November 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment
If you’ve watched any opinion news or read any Op-Ed’s in major newspapers you’ve probably heard many people calling for a return to the gold standard. Even then, you’ve most certainly heard that the price of gold has continued to hit record highs since the start of the global recession. Minus some famous politicians such as Ron Paul, the issue of the gold standard has not been on the forefront of either US or global financial policy. However, World Bank President Robert Zoellick wrote an opinion piece in the Financial Times (you can … [Read more...]
The GOP and the Midterms
November 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment
My first post as an Issue Analyst focused on the shortcomings of financial sector reforms around the world because they did not aim for cohesion. With the results of Tuesday’s midterm elections, one thing is clear – there will likely be no more financial sector reform coming out of the new Congress. Looking at the rhetoric coming from the campaign from the GOP, some of them being Tea Party candidates, they have made themselves clear – they do not want any additional financial sector reforms. Their reasoning may vary from candidate to … [Read more...]
