Aidnography

One of the privileges of being able to read, think and write about books in the context of international development work and its people is to explore the breadth and depth of this growing genre. My recent reviews covered books written by a young aid worker , a collective of female humanitarians and a journalist who thought she was somehow involved in aid work ... Martin Barber’s Blinded by Humanity: Inside the UN’s Humanitarian Operations is a more conservative – although ‘traditional’ may be a more fitting term – autobiographical account of a senior UN staff member. To be honest, I was a bit worried that the set-up - male, British UN bureaucrat reflects on exciting coordination meetings with Kofi Annan in the room - may not work in this day and age, but his engaging prose and well-edited narrative avoid most of such pitfalls. In fact, when I finished reading the book it left me with a very satisfying feeling that I learned something about the historical scope of what the UN has ...

Hi all, Another much-needed link review as interesting reads kept piling up in my Inbox... Development ne ws looks at impact of policy briefs, the cost of post-2015 data collection, an extended section on media, journal ism & the aid industry and interesting case studies on digital campaigning from South Af rica, Chad, Libya & Indonesia ; Digita l Lives focuses on algorithms-and what they mean for non-profit communication and online community engagement; finally, Academia features a vignette from the bad old days of 1970s anthropology, David Graeber 's new book , an uneasy (?) relationship between defe nse money and open aid data & reflections on Northern-dom inated global IR debates. Enjoy! New from aidnography 5 reasons why everyone should work for a large organization at some point in their international development careers Look beyond bureaucratic stereotypes when engaging with large development organizations; these organizations can offer a lot of insights...

This is a re-post from our ComDev portal . I think it makes a nice addition to the Student advice section of the blog. As the autumn term was coming to an end, I had a discussion with a student about development work, career paths and the changing organizational landscape of the global aid industry. But it was actually on my bike ride home that I started to think more about my encounters with one particular, and often criticized, type of them: Large, traditional, bureaucratic organizations. I am talking UN system and international organizations, well-known INGOs or traditional bilateral donor agencies and national ministries. I have encountered them for almost twenty years. As early as a pre-university internship, throughout my research and professional work in the past 10-14 years and, even though it is not a development organization per se , through my academic employment at a Swedish university with more than 1,600 staff members . In the current climate of ‘Do-It-Yourself aid’, (...

Hi all, As I was complaining on facebook about all-male panels I have to admit that my virtual panel of development commentators is also highly imbalanced this week :(. Nonetheless, there are some great pieces on the complexities of aid charities, the limitations of M&E as a learning tool, a concise debunk of voluntourism myths, an interesting case study on the limits of mainstream reporting when it comes to aid worker casualties and reflections on 'Europeople' that ring true for any expat worth their R&R! Our digital lives looks at NFL 'brand building' 'sham' to tackle domestic violence, reflections on the quantified self, and a reminder that venture capitalists threaten the established contract between states, citizens and 'the market'. Is there a good way for academic field trips? Why should you read more widely outside your academic bubble? Plus an author interview-cum-book review on Western health discourses in Nepal, round off the Academia ...

I largely disagree with Paul Currion’s post The invisible lesson of Invisible Children at IRIN News-even though I like their new approach to add more critical commentary to their very informative site. In some ways, ‘Invisible Children held a mirror up to the aid industry’ he writes, but the industry ’s response has been more critical, nuanced and broader in both quality and quantity than Paul wants to give an aid industry seemingly looking for the next viral fundraising phenomenon credit to. My response focuses on three areas: First, the moment Kony 2012 went viral, there was an almost equally viral wave of critical responses-mainly driven by online social media; second, Invisible Children/Kony 2012 have been driven by a North American philanthropic and cultural industry that certainly deserves more critical attention and, third, humanitarian organizations and their communication for development efforts are more than just intermediaries between global Northern donors and Southern re...

Hi all, No long introductions this week...a packed link review, featuring Development News on 'grit' and survival in humanitarian aid work; the data 'revolution' goes buzzword mainstream; how to be 'less shiny' in ICT4D; reflections on the Rusty Radiator Award; Norway sends teenage fashion bloggers to Cambodian sweatshops; the pitfalls of 'trickle-down community engagement'; thoughts on the future of development; is 'development' a toxic term? A long-read by a female, pregnant war photographer & a couple of interesting new UN reports. Our digital lives wasted networking; digital nomads; trolling and community journalism & why teachers are not 'makers';  Academia features an open access book on debates around 'openness' in academia. Enjoy! New from aidnography A journey to the dark heart of nameless unspeakable evil (book review) I don’t usually review bad books, but reading 'A journey to the dark heart of nameles...