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Why I promote book reviews

Book reviews are time consuming and are usually read and shared less than other blog content-so why bother with them? Book reviews have been one pillar of my blog since I started Aidnography in September 2010. I recently received a few comments about my reviews, particularly whether it is ‘worth’ writing them in an era of fast social media trends and various discussions about the future of books in a digital age in general and in academia more particularly. I actually wrote about some of these is sues as e arly as 2 011: Publishing books vs. the modern world II - The Ebook post . In addition to simply saying that I enjoy reading books and consider myself very fortunate that this activity is (a small) part of my paid full-time employment, I want to structure my reflections along four themes: the stamina of books, the relationship between books and my research, the changing nature of (academic) publishing and my resistance against overpriced edited anthologies. Books are here to

Links & Contents I Liked 139

Hi all, The latest link review once again reminded me what a fantastic network of friends, colleagues and digital acquaintances I have that do and write about really great stuff! Development news features a great portrait of the state of the UN and his current leader, insights into the World Development Report, the future of the SDGs, post-traumatic growth, tourism in Haiti, the legacy of Greg Mortenson, and another bad celebrity campaign. Our digital lives continues with some of the topics, featuring insights into the 'Ferguson industry', hyper-transparency, facebook tips for non-profits-and Buzzfeed. Academia features a call for better practice in business school ivory towers and thoughts on anthropology's 'long tail'. Enjoy! New from aidnography Blinded by Humanity (book review) I can recommend Martin Barber’s book highly because of his historical view (many aid worker biographies start with the Sudan or Rwanda crises of the 1990s) and, more importantly, be

Blinded by Humanity (book review)

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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

Links & Contents I Liked 138

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

5 reasons why everyone should work for a large organization at some point in their international development careers

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’, (

Links & Contents I Liked 137

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