The UN human development index gives a more complete picture than does income alone

"Tensions had been growing in Kyrgyzstan over what human rights groups contended were the increasingly repressive policies of President Bakiyev, but it appeared that the immediate catalyst for the violence was anger over a sharp increase in prices for utilities." (NYT)

"Political unrest over poverty, rising prices and corruption has gripped Kyrgyzstan since early March. About a third of the population live below the poverty line and remittances from workers in Russia have fallen during the global economic crisis." (WP)

U.N. Human Development Indicators 2009

Amnesty International

OECD Intertim Outlook: April 7, 2010

Photo credit: (c) Ivan Sekretarev/Associated Press 2010. Copyright controlled.

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Is a new pattern of global imbalances emerging?
Current account balance, in per cent of GDP



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Source: OECD, Quarterly National Accounts database; and OECD, Main Economic Indicators database.