Monday, October 14, 2013

Blog 11: Planning Acupuncture


 In lecture 1 we discussed the dollarization of lifestyles in Papua New Guinea. This is the phenomenon of creating industries that shift a proportion of the population from subsistence lifestyles to ones dependent upon paid employment. The benefits can be earning enough money to pay for school fees and provide for health care; the downside can be not earning enough to compensate for not being able to grow your own food, and the increased exposure to diseases such as AIDS. From what you have learned through this course, what approach would you take towards ensuring the benefits and minimizing the risks of dollarizing lifestyles? (You don’t need to explain how you would solve any problems; the objective is to describe the approach you would take).

Monday, October 7, 2013

Blog 10: Islam and Planning

What are the three Islamic world-view principles and six decision-making principles? Why do you think it is difficult for poor people in informal settlements to achieve change in their living conditions?