Aidnography

Hi all, UNGA week is wrapping up, but the focus on this week's link review is on some of the other #globaldev stories, from shrinking civic spaces in India to flipping the script of child sponsorship and diverse hiring panels! Plus: Avoiding gender bias in reference letters & a look into the 2014 archive! My quotes of the week When we say that civic space is shrinking, this usually refers to legislative measures, human rights violations, and other oppressive practices to curb the space for civil society. But what we see today in many places, including India, is a change in atmosphere. People seeking social justice find themselves increasingly operating in restricted spaces, where populist speech demonises reformers, and legitimises opinions that were until recently unsayable in public. As someone said: ‘Hate is in the air, in many ways and against many‘. Hate of all kinds of ‘others’ extends to hate for people who promote inclusion. (What is happening to civic space in India?)...

Hi all, Today is #climatestrike day-so enjoy new #globaldev readings & a fresh book review over the weekend! My quotes of the week Everyone who lived on the hardest-hit islands of Grand Bahama and Abaco – about 76,000 people – is affected. Housing, infrastructure, and basic services have either been destroyed, damaged, or disrupted. As much as 90 percent of Abaco has been damaged. The mostly-Haitian shantytowns of The Mudd and Pigeon Peas were flattened. (Five things to watch after Hurricane Dorian strikes the Bahamas) The transnational nature of the digital revolution has the potential to break down Africa’s arbitrary borders, which were haphazardly drawn during the colonial era, as well as the potential to diffuse power away from state governments to citizens. But it also makes it harder for those who misuse the technology to be held to account. ( Africa should not be too quick to embrace the fourth industrial revolution) Enjoy! New from aidnography The business of changin...

It may be a bit unusual to start my book review with a link to another review , but it was Duncan Green who sparked my interest in The Business of Changing the World-How Billionaires, Tech Disrupters, and Social Entrepreneurs Are Transforming the Global Aid Industry with his critical review. Basically, I agree with Duncan’s critical take on the book. When I read Kumar’s book I was often reminded of a dinner event at an elite university where every Thursday the international relations society invites a high profile speaker who pitches their industry to the next generation of future global innovative resourceful leaders: Last week, the State Department pitched foreign service, next week a senior executive from a tech company will talk about expanding their services to the ‘bottom billion’ and this week it is Raj Kumar’s turn to ‘sell’ the aid industry. As a graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government Kumar knows how to create a sales pitch in a way that to me as European seem...

Hi all, A busy week with lost of enjoyable teaching on historical aspects of #globaldev is wrapping up & I'm glad to sit down and gather some good readings, tweets, vignettes from around the digital #globaldev sphere! My quotes of the week When I assumed my post, there were no established work routines; no specific directives from superiors or any information on violations against women. The only thing I was told was that I was expected to produce a one-year action plan to guide my work as the gender adviser. The lack of organizational memory was a challenge at the beginning, but it also gave me the chance to improvise and create. (My Year in Africa: Why This Brazilian Woman Peacekeeper Wants to Return) Close the Media Lab, disband the Ted Talks, refuse the money of tech billionaires, boycott agents like Brockman. Without such drastic changes, the powerful bullshit-industrial complex that is the “third culture” will continue unharmed, giving cover to the next Epstein. (...