Oxfam Official Says to Spread Power, Not Wealth

Duncan Green, author of “From Poverty to Power: How Active Citizens and Effective States Can Change the World,” spoke to Georgetown students on Tuesday to discuss the latest threats that are confronting the developing world – including global hunger, climate change, land rights and migration.

Green’s speech, which took place in ICC, was the fourth in a series of lectures presented by the International Relations Club. He spoke on behalf of Oxfam International, a confederation of 13 separate organizations that work together to bring about human rights change.

As head of research for Oxfam Great Britain, Green enthusiastically greeted the several dozen students in the audience, opening with Oxfam’s mission: to develop the world through non-governmental organization.

Green said that both societal and economic components are necessary to reduce poverty.

“Good economics policy [includes] keeping inflation down and keeping the minimum wage up, and good social policy [includes] keeping kids in school and paying for faculty to keep all those kids in school,” he said.

Green continued by identifying several specific themes to ensure that good policy is followed.

“[First], it doesn’t start with spreading the wealth,” he said. “The first thing that needs to be shifted is power and how we understand power . big tides of power and, also, small change in power.”

According to Green, it is necessary to ensure equal opportunities when developing government policy. He said that this includes granting people opportunities to migrate to different locations and serve as migrant workers, which can increase funds at home by billions of dollars.

“Poor people and migrant workers send home about 250 billion dollars a year in remittances . two and a half times global aid,” Green said.

At the end of the speech, Green emphasized the need for a positive link between government and its people.

“Taxation . is the link between citizens and state,” Green said. “You pay taxes; you care about what the state does with your money. . No taxation without representation. And that basic link is something we’ve missed.”

– Jessica Schieder

GUSA Senate Votes More Funds to SafeRides

The GUSA Senate passed a resolution to increase funding for SafeRides on Wednesday.

The bill, co- sponsored by GUSA Senators Johnny Solis (SFS ’11) and Tyler Stone (COL ’09), states that the student association “hopes [this resolution] is part of a concerted effort to improve safety and security on Georgetown’s campus.”

“What I’ve come to understand is that there is a real problem with security here on campus, and it’s not a problem we can allow to continue,” GUSA President Pat Dowd (SFS ’09) said in response to reports of recent crimes near campus including theft and sexual assault.

Jackson Holahan (COL ’09), GUSA’s representative to the Student Safety Advisory Board, said that a major problem was the amount of funding the Department of Public Safety provided to the Senate.

“Basically, we have no money,” said Holahan. “It is, I think, unacceptable. And the lack of security – for lack of a better word – stinks.”

According to Senate Speaker Reggie Greer (COL ’09), this resolution will go before the university’s Board of Directors, which would then provide the money needed for the project. He added that this money would be given to DPS, which would then steer a certain amount to SafeRides.

Holahan said that DPS should increase the number of SafeRides drivers. This would hopefully address students’ complaints that SafeRides cars take too long to arrive, or, in some cases never arrive at all.

-Elizabeth Rowe

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