Aidnography

Olivier Van Beemen’s Heineken in Africa-A Multinational Unleashed is probably one of the most readable, nuanced and critical accounts of ‘multinationals doing business in Africa’ that I have read so far. Looking at the iconic Dutch beer brewer Heineken’s operations across the continent, Van Beemen presents case studies that dispel many myths about sustainability, corporate social responsibility and the contribution global companies make across Africa economies. Heineken in Africa is not on a crusade that shakes an angry fist against the evils of capitalism or condemning a multinational company and its product. Van Beemen uses his unagitated and meticulously researched style to the fullest advantage to present country-specific case studies of the brewer’s problematic relationship with power, politics and profits. Right from the beginning Van Beemen makes it clear that Heineken’s business in Africa has always been very profitable. This has not been despite the stereotypical assumptio...

Hi all,  Welcome to this week's link review! (Just a quick technical note: As I will be traveling to Moldova next week the next link review will most likely be online on Saturday, rather than Friday afternoon) Development news from Mozambique, DRC, Australia, Venezuela, Libya, Canada, Indonesia, USA & a couple of global topics as well. Our digital lives: Captain Marvel propaganda; unpaid interns; another #manel manifesto; how the poor pay with digital privacy. Publications: Sexual violence against aid workers; sexual violence against refugee men & boys; crisis in independent media; 500 unread evaluation from Uganda. Academia: How do we spend our time? Enjoy! New on aidnography Academic Neocolonialism: Clickbait and the Perils of Commercial Publishing My colleagues Lisa Ann Richey, David Simon, Ilan Kapoor & Stefano Ponte with a timely guest post as the International Studies Association’s (#ISA2019) annual meeting kicks off in Toronto. The topic is once agai...

My colleagues Lisa Ann Richey , David Simon , Ilan Kapoor & Stefano Ponte with a timely guest post as the International Studies Association ’ s (#ISA2019) annual meeting kicks off in Toronto. The topic is once again the journal Third World Quarterly which is sponsoring the reception of ISA ’ s Global Development Section and the broader questions these discussions raise for higher education and academic publishing. In recent years, universities have been embroiled in debates about the appropriate ways to incorporate social justice concerns into teaching and research. From attempts to place hoax articles in academic journals in order to demonstrate biases in the editorial process to claims that campus activism impinges on free speech , these debates often suggest that radical and progressive politics are responsible for a decline in tolerance and academic standards. But the opposite is often true. Take, for example, “The Case for Colonialism,” an article published by Third World...

Hi all, This week a reader & colleague informed me that Alessandra Pigni passed away in December 2018. What terrible news. Michael Edwards re-published some of her writing in her memory for Open Democracy : Between 2013 and 2017 Transformation published four articles by Alessandra Pigni on the relationship between personal and political change. A specialist in mindfulness training in humanitarian organisations, Pigni's path-breaking ideas are collected together in The Idealist’s Survival Kit. 75 Simple Ways to Avoid Burnout . As she puts it at the end of this article: "I, for one, am interested, not just in exploring but in living in that space where critical thinking and reflective practice meet justice, and the capacity to love oneself and others. How? I don’t know. I just envisage this as the activism and humanitarianism of the 21st century, not just rallies or charity, but something new, where institutions don’t break people’s spirit, where personal wellbeing is n...

Hi all, There has been a lot of terrible news since last week's review and luckily things have been a bit quieter in #globaldev-but there is lots of great food for reading this week-especially a new set of interesting reports and open access books that deserve more attention! Development news from South Sudan, Solomon Islands, Guinea & the USA; plus: working for UNHCR; ICT4D & the Fourth Industrial Revolution; philanthropy & sex work(ers). Our digital lives: Content moderation; Momo challenge hoax; Gwyneth Paltrow's uber-privilege. Publications: Targeting Effectiveness; measuring empowerment the right way; participatory video to combat corruption; views from affected people in Afghanistan; new books on negotiating gender equity & the politics of education. Academia: The inequality of LSE's new inequality chair; diversifying reading lists; Gender Gap Tracker in Canada. Enjoy! Development news LL3: Living Level-3 South Sudan The 48-page graphic nov...