In Britain as elsewhere in the west, the rising cost of welfare has reached the point that governments are looking for reform. Ian Duncan-Smith, for instance, the welfare secretary wants to take all those complex, creaking benefits and merge them into a single, simple system – a system which he plans to call a universal credit. It is a good idea but is not going to achieve anything worthwhile....

It’s Fairtrade Fortnight. A few weeks ago we looked at the effects of “Fairtrade”. Fair trading does not, and can not, bring about a general improvement in the living conditions of the third world farmers who are meant to benefit from it. Those who advocate such schemes should look at the economic reality behind such feelgood schemes. “Who owns the land?” is always...

Four surprise unemployment guarantees were unveiled in the Queen’s Speech. An extra 10,000 places for unemployed 16-17 year olds, guaranteeing a place in education from January. A commitment that 18-24 year olds will be offered a guaranteed job or training and will not have to wait until they have been out of work for a year. A promise to help 18-24-year-olds find work from day one of their...

David Cameron today unveiled plans to impose a £25-a-week benefit cut on incapacity benefit claimants who were considered fit for work. The Conservatives want to fund a £600m back-to-work programme with the money saved. They think their “tough and tender” approach will show that they are willing to help victims of the recession with apprenticeships and training and by modernising welfare....

African countries are giving away vast tracts of farmland to other countries and investors almost for free, with the only benefits consisting of vague promises of jobs and infrastructure, according to a report published on Monday.

The government’s flagship policy to revolutionise welfare by paying private companies to find jobs for the unemployed was in crisis last night as firms said there were too many people out of work – and too few vacancies – to make it viable. News that Labour’s radical plan is in turmoil and facing possible legal challenges comes as unemployment is about to pass the two million...

Social mobility is on the British government’s agenda. It doesn’t matter what the government proposes because none of the suggested measures can do more than scratch the surface of the problem, at disproportionate cost. But to be fair to the government, neither the Conservatives nor the LibDems have any better policies.

The world’s leaders are gathering at the UN in New York this week to review progress towards the millennium development goals set in 2000. New figures released by the World Bank reveal that 1.4 billion people are now living in _blank”extreme poverty, or a quarter of the entire population of the developing world. UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has singled out rich countries for failing...

Some developing countries, most of them in Africa, have had high levels of aid dependence – in excess of 10 per cent of gross domestic product, or half of government spending – for decades. There are widespread doubts whether this has been helpful. Last week there was a conference in Accra, Ghana, to discuss the matter. From the Campaign’s point of view, there are two major objections...

The latest tax problem to hit the UK goverment is the tax credit scheme. Apparently about £2.8 billion was overpaid and the authorities asked for their money back. But people challenged this, using the Freedom of Information legislation to obtain evidence that the Inland Revenue had been incompetent when they made the overpayments. Most of the losses will now have to be written off. How long will...