Aidnography

Hi all, A great week of teaching is coming to its close-colleagues from Brazil, the US, Pakistan, the Netherlands & Finland joined us virtually in our Glocal Classroom in Sweden together with many students from more than 15 countries!  How to maintain 'hope' in #globaldev studies teaching is addressed in one of this week's posts; but among hope & bright spots, this week's review is not entirely optimistic-aid to Syria, the impact of flooding on Pakistan or the impact of the rush to leave Haiti on children are just some of the stories; and what happened to the eHealth revolution, used cars or trade in donkeys in Africa? My quotes of the week The estimated correction required to account for armed conflict is substantial – expected national income is 25 per cent lower on average by the end of the century across countries when taking conflict into account. Strong regional patterns in countries with multiple conflicts are projected to experience much higher conflict

Hi all, This week's curation takes from Afghanistan to Ethiopia, Somalia, Myanmar, Dubai & Zimbabwe with a little sprinkling of USA(id) & Davos! And then there are more insights into the Effective Altruism movement/cult (?), readings & more! Happy weekend! My quotes of the week If Power really wants to reform foreign assistance (and I believe she does), she must get in the weeds. Procurement, with its mind-numbing jargon, jaw-droppingly expensive systems requirements and years-long payment schedule, prohibits innovation. It’s where ambitious reform goes to die. (USAID’s largest-ever foreign assistance package doubles down on colonial aid) The humanitarian catastrophe in Myanmar is, at its core, a political crisis. Donors and aid organisations face a choice. They can continue working with the illegitimate junta and risk becoming complicit in their atrocity crimes, or they can support the people’s resistance: grassroots frontline humanitarian responders, ethnic civil so

It's always great when readers contact me about a potential guest post! So when Dipankar Datta, Country Director Somalia, Norwegian Church Aid, asked whether I would like to share his reflections on recruitment practices, pitfalls & how to navigate them in the humanitarian sector I was more than happy to do so! His concluding thoughts are a timely reminder that there is definitely space to improve recruitment in the sector: "It is imperative for leaders in the humanitarian aid and development sector to critically reflect on the existing recruitment process and take corrective measures to address existing concerns. (...). Every candidate deserves to be respected throughout the recruitment process, but sadly, many organizations still do not treat candidates as well as they should."   A full cycle recruitment process involves many steps, such as preparing, sourcing, screening, selecting, hiring, etc.; and on several occasions the recruiters and applicants interact throu

Hi all, This week's not-so-good news from Lebanon, Ethiopia, North Korea & Syria found a positive counterpart with powerful, hopeful stories from women contributing to change-from Vanuatu, Sweden, South Sudan & India. It's also worth scrolling down to the archive section featuring pieces on 'the hut' & early signs of UK's decline in #globaldev leadership. My quotes of the week We often encourage human rights defenders, activists, and independent journalists to be heroes. Yet, we just as often fail to have their backs when they are inevitably pressed against the wall by their abusers in power. (Cameroon, Eswatini, Rwanda: Three devastating days that shook Africa) More than 600,000 people may have been killed. Imagine if Lilongwe disappeared. Millions of people in Tigray and other regions were displaced, their lives upended forever. The destruction of infrastructure, farms, homes, and jobs undid hard-won progress that may take the better part of a decade t

Hi all, Davos came & went, but there are also other important stories from Afghanistan, Brazil, on faux carbon offsets, value/poverty chains, peace intermediaries & much more! And another brand new post on Aidnography -this time about PhD skills & their limited transferability. My quotes of the week “On the one hand, the stereotypes seem to hold true (...). There are decadent parties, executives spouting vacuous talking points about sustainability, and behind it all the mysterious World Economic Forum. “Still, every global development leader I spoke to was glad they came. The easy access to top-level corporate and government leaders is hard to replicate elsewhere, even at the United Nations. “But the question for journalists and development practitioners alike is whether, by their sheer presence, they are legitimizing a gathering which could not be more removed from the constituencies they’re meant to serve. Each year, it seems they ask themselves the question. And each yea