Central planning through large firms could not replace the consistency and environmental benefits of a zabaleen system for trash removal In Cairo, Egypt.
Subsidies: Fueling Egyptian Turmoil
The time is 8 am. During March 2012, 200 people at a depot just west of Cairo are waiting for a truck delivery of butane cylinders. One gentleman yells, “Please, I’ve been waiting for 10 days to get my cylinder–who can…
Population Pyramids
These graphics are wonderful! Shaped sort of like a triangle because the elderly population is so small, this population pyramid for Egypt illustrates a youth bulge of men and women who are 15 to 29. The “bulge” represents 28% of…
How Do You Disconnect the Internet?
As a Vodafone New Zealand customer, events in Egypt directed affected you. With a Cairo based call center that had to be closed, Vodafone said that people needing assistance waited 7 or 8 minutes for service that was directed elsewhere.…
Happy Rice Farmers
With a typical Egyptian household spending 38.3% of its budget on food in 2008, you can see why soaring food prices could fuel turmoil. But what about the other side? For Senegal farmer and trader, Ndeye Sarr Diop, rising rice…
Military Business
Choosing between “guns and butter” (or missiles and margarine), national leaders think of the military for guns and the private sector for “butter.” Not Egypt, though. As far back as the 1970s, when peace with Israel meant less to do…
The Economic Response to Riots
When the rioting starts, where does economic activity stop? In Egypt, gas and food were immediately affected. One owner of an Alexandria Mobil Station said he had not gotten a gas delivery for 2 days. The price of certain foods…
