Kate Bourne is IWHC's Vice President for International Policy and Regional Programs.

In the United States, we have long expected corporations to be accountable to their employees by providing health insurance for workers and their families. Recently, around the world, the framework of corporate responsibility has expanded to include not only a company's employees, but also surrounding communities.

   

Investing in women's health and rights is a key mechanism for promotion of corporate accountability, as well as one of the best investments that businesses can make.

Amidst the media hysteria about the U.S. population reaching 300 million this month, it seems an opportune moment to reflect on the deeply subjective nature of the concept of "overpopulation." One example: how is it that Europe's low birth rate is a population "crisis," whereas Africa's high birth rate is also a population "crisis"? Three guesses.

For this and other food for thought, I highly recommend 10 Reasons to Rethink 'Overpopulation', a thoughtful new resource from Hampshire College's Population and Development Program that explores the links between population, reproductive health, human rights, racism, and the environment. Here are some particularly compelling reasons to rethink:

     

1. Population      control targets women's fertility and restricts reproductive rights.
2. Population alarmism      encourages apocalyptic thinking that legitimizes human rights abuses.
3. Conventional      views of overpopulation stand in the way of greater global understanding      and solidarity.

   

If I had my way, it would be required reading for all 300 million Americans...

In my last article on this topic, I reintroduced KIVA and showed how 1.) what they do really can help create successful small businesses in East Africa and how those businesses help the community in which they exist, and 2.) how our efforts on the blogsphere have helped KIVA become so successful that they cannot keep up with the outpouring of help. But they are also bringing on the businesses in need of loans faster than ever, so jeep checking back. Congratulations to all who are making this such a success.

In this diary I want to reiterate the context in which KIVA works and how we also have to help that context. This will partly be a reiteration of diaries I have written before, explaining why I am calling for an "integrated" approach to development that we in the blogsphere can participate in. This is my vision of how you and I can change the world from the bottom up.

An odd consequence of the famine in East Africa is that now schools have a record attendance. Schools in Kenya are full and beyond full. Normally kids going to school is a GOOD thing. But in this case it is really merely another part of a tragedy.

From BBC.

As we mark this deadliest day in Iraq, I'm sure the more right-winged among us would like Americans to think about all the good we're doing there.

One of their favorite talking points is pushing how well the Iraq election went. How this is a start of something great (like how now we can start talking troop withdrawal).

Well, tell that to Maha al Douri, female candidate for the Iraqi Parliament.