Aidnography

Hi all, Welcome back to another Friday link review! Development news: Things are getting better-but poverty is complex; UK Aid in a post-Brexit world; Kenya's start-up scene so white! More money for Kibera; Uganda's 'Ghetto President' is a lesson for digital activism; responding to Kerala's floods; development research & epistemic justice; #MeToo & transitional justice; police militarization. Our digital lives: 'The Winners take all'-philanthrocapitalism revisited; political trolling made in the Philippines. Publications: Sweden's official feminist foreign policy handbook; humanitarian emergencies & adolescents. Enjoy! New from aidnography Should I transition from aid work to academia? Some don’ts & don’ts The basic question is whether it is worth exploring PhD options as a mid-career, midlife aid worker with an intention to transition from the development industry into academia. tl:dr: Don’t do it! Development news 12 Things W...

In what seems like a digital lifetime ago I asked: Should I consider a PhD in International Development Studies? in 2011. My central points are still valid and the post is one of my most successful in terms of readership and comments. The main audience for this post were a young(er) undergraduates or professionals who contemplate doing a PhD in international development as career advancement. Fast forward to a 2017 piece in the Guardian about aid worker midlife crisis , discussions in forums such as 50 Shades of Aid or direct talks with aid workers and it seems that an update or extension of my original post could be a good idea to kick off the start of a new academic year. The basic question is whether it is worth exploring PhD options as a mid-career, midlife aid worker with an intention to transition from the development industry into academia. tl:dr: Don’t do it! Your aid work(er) experiences are pretty much meaningless for a PhD project In my original post I wrote about ‘boring ...

Hi all, Summer is over, the new semester around the corner - and your favorite weekly link review is back on the Internet! I am not even trying to catch up; I sprinkled in a few articles and reports that I have come across in the past few weeks, but other than that we are reading fresh stuff! Development news: The RCT debate continues; Oxfam might inherit 41 million pounds! The US military-industrial complex in Niger; Canada has its first poverty reduction strategy! Blockchain won't fix Kenya(n elections); the UN is looking at internship programs: Lithuanian celebrities in Ethiopia; what would inclusive photography really look like? EveryDay Mumbai changing perceptions; many NGO workers don't speak local language; RIP Samir Amin; how to write an aidworker autobiography; 'Dear White consultant'-a poem from Tonga. Our digital lives: The 'facebook & right-wing violence in Germany' research revisited; unethical female journalists in the movies; Yoga & whit...

Hi all, As I wrote in last week's link review : Unlike previous years I will have a proper break until the second half of August to focus on other (academic) writing projects, catching up on my reading list - and simply take a break from the #globaldev news cycle. There will be an official vacation post at the end of next week with reading suggestions from the archive-and perhaps even the odd book review or commentary depending on what will happen over the summer. In the meantime, besides leaving you with an image of Malmö's Västra Hamnen harbor with a view of the Öresund bridge in the background, I am sharing a few blogging highlights with you in case you feel like browsing the archive or, if you are a new student for example, getting to know my Aidnography project. I hope you will also have a great summer and look forward to seeing you again in August! One of the key themes of my blogging has been engaging with the aid industry and the professionalism of aid work(er...

Hi all, This is going to be the last weekly review before my summer break. Unlike previous years I will have a proper break until the second half of August to focus on other (academic) writing projects, catching up on my reading list - and simply take a break from the #globaldev news cycle. There will be an official vacation post at the end of next week with reading suggestions from the archive-and perhaps even the odd book review or commentary depending on what will happen over the summer. In the meantime: Enjoy a packed reading list-especially as many readers in Canada and the US will have long weekends! Development news: the challenges of reporting sexual violence in Nigeria; logos on aid supplies-it's complicated; #globaldevwomen; you wouldn't send winter clothing to Samoa-but some people still do; Australians overestimate aid spending; the military-migrant economy in Nepal; period underwear; don't 'poorface'-on poverty tourism in the UK; Bill Gates wasted 600 ...