GLOBAL SUBSIDIES INITIATIVE
Subsidy WatchIssue 19, December 2007
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The hidden cost bearers of India's internal race for investment
By By Rahul Goswami*
The proportion of public spending on health by India fell from an already low 1.3 percent of GDP in 1991 (when the economic reforms began) to 0.9 percent by 2005 (Myanmar and Sudan are among the countries that spend more). A study by the Asian Development Bank released in October 2007 found that nearly 40 million Indians previously above the poverty line have fallen below due to healthcare payments.
The country's major states, however, are rolling out new attractions for industry and investment.
Also in this issue:
News
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European Commission proposal on CAP reform comes under criticism
The European Commission's recommendations for reforming the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) - the so-called "Health Check" - have come under criticism from European governments and environmental campaigners, albeit for different reasons.
On 20 November the EC unveiled proposals for the next phase of changes to European agricultural policy. Among the recommended reforms would be cuts in direct payments to Europe's largest farms.
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As Malaysia struggles with rising fuel subsidy bill, government eyes reform
With the international price of a barrel of oil nudging USD100 a barrel mark, Malaysia, with its long history of of subsidizing consumer prices for petroleum products, is being forced to re-consider its policies.
Studies
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Report analyzes implications of the growing use of investment incentives
In November the International Institute for Sustainable Development's Global Subsidies Initiative released a report that analyzes government subsidies intended to influence the location of investments.
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Lessons from Malawi’s Fertilizer Subsidy Programme
A briefing paper comments on a recently introduced fertilizer subsidy in Malawi. The subsidy garnered wide-spread support within Malawi, but was viewed with skepticism by some donor agencies.
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Report to U.S. Congress shows increasing federal electricity subsidies
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has issued a report on federal subsidies to electricity, estimating funding for electricity related research and development (R&D), tax expenditures for subsidizing electricity production, as well as other government support for electricity.
The GAO finds that subsidies and tax expenditures have increased over the 2002-07 period examined. Subsidies for R&D increased from USD1.6 billion in 2002 to USD2.2 billion in 2007. Total support to R&D amounted to USD11.5 billion over the six-year period.
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NGO argues U.S. support for fish farms is environmentally and economically unsustainable
A paper from the a nonprofit consumer organization, Food & Water Watch, warns that government support for open ocean fish farms is environmentally and economically unsustainable.
The report, Fishy Farms: The Problems with Open Ocean Aquaculture, reacts to moves by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S.
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Study recommends an EU budget to address climate change
A British non-profit organization has made a series of broad recommendations for how the EU budget could be better directed towards addressing climate change.
Investing in our future: a European budget for climate security, published by Green Alliance, calls on Europe to take the lead in shaping the response to climate change, and to take a closer look at the linkages between environmental and economic policy.
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