EFFICIENT USE OF PUBLIC FUNDS?

Every time cities bid on the Olympics or some other big sporting event, local opponents contend that too much public money will be wasted on venues instead of on other services they deem more important. A few years ago, the city of Manchester, England hosted the Commonwealth Games, an Olympics-style event for Britain and its former colonies. 110 million pounds (about $173 million at today's exchange rate) was spent on the architecturely beautiful but not-so-creatively named City of Manchester Stadium. The stadium was built to the Games but with the expectation that after the competition's conclusion, it would house the city's Manchester City soccer club (not to be confused with its more illustrious and more loathed cross-town rival Manchester United). There was only one problem. English soccer fans are used to being right on top of the field and the presence of the running track meant the front row was back some distance from the grass. The same thing happened after Montreal's Olympic Stadium was reconfigured for baseball after the '76 Olympic Games. So after spending, millions of dollars installing a world-class track, they spent additional millions ripping out the track and installing new seats. But Manchester city councilor Richard Leese allayed concerns by noting that that council tax increases would remain below the rate of inflation for the next three years. A report claimed that the Commonwealth Games boosted Manchester's economy by 18 million pounds (over $28 million) a year, though no indication of how many years; this was after 160 million pounds (over $250 million) was spent on all venues.



WHAT A GROWTH INDUSTRY!

There's been much made about the so-called "prison-industrial complex" in the United States, including a piece in Mother Jones magazine. This phenomenom sees small, economically-struggling towns accept to have prisons built in their backyard because they provide a financial trickle-down benefit. This has been a growth industry in recent years as the US prison population has skyrocketed, despite the national crime rate reaching its lowest levels in 30 years in 2002, with violent and property crimes being almost halved as compared to 1973. A Brookings Institute report on the slow population growth of upstate New York shows the impact of the prison-industrial complex. It noted that [n]early 30 percent of new residents in Upstate New York in the 1990s were prisoners... an increase that was accompanied by a growing number of prison staff, as well as inmates' relatives.



AFRICAN STATES FIGHT FOR AFFORDABLE MEDICATIONS

A fight is going on in the World Trade Organization that may signal a key point in the continent's battle against its two biggest causes of death: AIDS and malaria. African states are lobbying the WTO counterparts to back a deal that would allow poor countries to import generic drugs to fight AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Pharmaceutical multinationals were concerned that generic drugs might eat into their profits; they were also concerned that generic drugs would flourish to treat less serious conditions and would hurt sales of highly profitable drugs like Viagra. A compromise appeared to have been struck that would've allowed generic drugs to be exported poorer countries but prevented their importation by developed countries. However, negotiators hit a snag over interpretation that has delayed the accord. Hopefully they will work everything out before the meeting dissolves.