Does hostility by outsiders generate generosity and solidarity towards fellow group members? This question sheds light on a puzzle that has preoccupied social scientists since Darwin's time. How can pro-social behaviour – including a desire for sharing and helping others – be evolutionarily stable? Pro-social behaviour typically comes at a cost to the sharing individual, even though it benefits others in the group. So you would think that evolutionary pressures would 'weed out' such behaviour. The idea that inter-group violence acts as a catalyst for the evolution of sociability can help us understand the dynamics of this kind of behaviour.   read more >>

A few months ago I was in Ghana and visited St George’s castle in Elmina, the infamous fort used by the Dutch to hold large numbers of African slaves prior to their ‘export’ to the New World. The Dutch captured the fort from the Portuguese in 1637, and when the slave-trading days were over they handed it over to the British in 1871. St George’s castle is imposing and grim. Its current status as a UNESCO world heritage site is well deserved.   read more >>

What’s the connection between China’s one-child policy and the ability of the United States to continue spending beyond its means? You can be excused for not immediately guessing the answer to this bizarre question. The truth is an amazing story.   read more >>

Fossil fuel reserves are being depleted. Volatile oil prices are wrecking economic havoc worldwide. Oil rents are supporting dictators, and fuelling conflicts. And carbon emissions from the use of fossil fuels represent one of the biggest threats to future welfare. In light of these concerns it is perfectly sensible to reduce our addiction to fossil fuels, and diversify our energy portfolio by promoting the use of renewable energy sources. One such energy source is biofuels. The European Union has decided that in 2020 no less than 10% of the fuel used in the transport sector should be derived from biomass.   read more >>

According to a recent International Labour Organization (ILO) report, some 74 million children below the age of 14 are engaged in the so-called ‘worst forms’ of child labour. Although this number has been declining over time, it is still too high and is a shameful reminder of our inability to achieve global justice. The ‘worst forms’ of child labour lead to suffering and a loss of schooling opportunities for the children involved. Limited ‘accumulation of human capital’, to speak in economic jargon, perpetuates poverty and thus creates conditions that increase instances of child labour – it is a depressing cycle.   read more >>

Earlier this year, economist Paul Collier visited the Netherlands and talked about the policy recommendations spelled out in his best-selling book The Bottom Billion. He flew in from Africa, spent a few hours in the Netherlands, and then was on his way to rescue the Middle East. Recently Jeffrey Sachs and William Easterly – equally high-powered economists – also honoured the Netherlands with a visit, preaching their own version of the economic gospel.   read more >>

Recently, I was asked to say a few words on Dutch national radio about the global skyrocketing of food prices. Expecting that it would be an ego-boosting experience, I eagerly accepted. However, things did not quite work out as planned. I shocked the interviewer by pointing out the benefits associated with the current food price crisis. Benefits? He gasped for air and cried out, ‘Riots in Haiti and elsewhere; widespread hunger among the urban poor in developing countries; UK prime minister Brown saying the food crisis is worse than the financial crisis hitting the globe; runaway inflation in the far East and now the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warns that the food crisis can trigger civil wars – are you sure we are talking about the same issue?’   read more >>

When sitting in seminars, I now count the number of minutes until the speaker first mentions the word ‘institutions’. Usually this doesn’t take long.   read more >>

I am the proud father of three little boys, and have the privilege to learn a bit about human nature as I watch them grow up. Currently the oldest two, aged 4 and 6, seem to have only one thing on their minds – Pokémon. For a lot of children, who sit together, exchanging cards and commenting on each others’ latest conquests, Pokémon is real, and they are unaware of the fact that they are in the middle of an enormous hype.   read more >>

Many western politicians are fond of giving public money to farmers to grow more food. In Europe, a relatively recent phenomenon is to pay farmers to not produce food – or, more accurately, to pay them to produce nature. There are now proposals to extend such ‘payments for ecosystem services’ (PES) schemes to developing countries.   read more >>