Aidnography

Hi all, So mething strange has happen ed throughout th is week . For the first time since I started my link review I struggled a bit to c omp ile a meaningful digest since all my social media fe eds were clogged with non-development con tent (well, that's probably not entirely true in some ways...). Partly because of my fi lter bubble , but mostly because the situation in the United States trumps (e xcuse the terrible pun) most other glo bal issues. Nonet he less this sl ightly shorter digest still features some good, critical, sometim es uplifting readi ngs that remind us that the struggles for global justice and inequality know no boundaries. Development news: The Silicon Valley ethos does not work for ICT4D; EU & the shift of #globaldev funds towards refugee issues; women, war & Yemen; the female orchestra from Afghanistan; should we be excited about the latest World Development report? A neat overview of digital campaigning. Our digital lives: The...

Under the impression of recent political developments in the US, major academic associations have started to respond to the challenge of how to hold their annual mega-conferences in an age of travel insecurities. The International Communication Association (IC A) already sent out a clear statement that they are looking at ‘alternative platforms’ to engage with scholar who cannot or do not want to travel to the United States or more generally under current visa insecurities. ICA shares concern re impact of exec orders on ability of ALL colleagues to attend #ica17 . We are working on alt platforms for participation — IntCommunicationAssn (@icahdq) January 29, 2017 The A merican Anthropological Association (AAA) issued a strong statement against travel bans , but with no reference to alternative forms and approaches to hold meetings. And all I nternational Studies Association (ISA) could come up with so far was to urge participants to join them in Baltimore later in Februar...

Hi all, Another Friday! New student are settling in, calendar filling up with appointments and so much interesting stuff to read! Development news : World Vision tests humanitarian boundaries in Syria; China’s development debt-traps; time for a new anti-politics machine? Child refugee exploitation in Turkey; where are the women in Pakistan? Illegal logging; UN World Data Forum; have statistics lost their power? Colour and the UK civil service; the gentrification of back-packing; Amartya Sen is smart. Publications : New book on the politics of inclusive development; WHO outsourcing dilemmas. Academia: New #globaldev podcast series; meaningful work and management science; the MOOC emperor is naked! Enjoy! New from aidnography The BBC-Myth of a Public Service (book review) Tom Mills’ interesting historical review of one of the world’s most renowned news media enterprises deserves attention, especially because his detailed analysis bridges the gap between ideologies and political l...

Tom Mills’ book The BBC-Myth of a Public Service is a book for which the slightly over-used phrase of a ‘timely contribution’ is actually very fitting. His interesting historical review of one of the world’s most renowned news media enterprises deserves attention, especially because his detailed analysis bridges the gap between ideologies and political leanings. Tom Mills’ longer-term perspective also enables him to look at key developments that took place over time and that seem to have culminated in all-too-easy catch-phrases about ‘fake news’, ‘alternative facts’ or the ‘post-factual media age’. Through his careful analysis of historical documents and previous studies on the history of the BBC during particular eras or political events, Mills advances his main argument. It may no come as a staggering surprise, but it is still a powerful base from which to explore the intricate relationship between media and society: the incidents illustrate the close relations between the...

Hi all, Just pretend it's a normal Friday...at least there are plenty of interesting stories that should distract you from other news today... Development news: Capitalism created charity 'fat cats'; what can DFID do about aid contractors? The ‘aid in reverse’ debate; Oxfam’s inequality data; OCHA receives bad news; activists are disappearing in Pakistan; women at the negotiation table; mapping sex work laws; female militias are not so empowering; participatory video in Nicaragua; how change happens; 23 tell-tale signs that you enjoy development listicles too much…; expat life; employee advocacy; the 15% overhead myth. Our digital lives: How important are ‘fake news’ really? Behavior science, community engagement and inequalities in Flint; #allmalepanels  Publication: New book on Politics, Protest, Emotion Academia: Studying poor people in India Enjoy! New from aidnography ‘Stealing from earthquake victims’-a tale of laptops, overheads and journalism from Nepal Y...