Fixing the power imbalances of aid and development: A paradox Is it right to prioritise fragile states in the climate crisis? Book Review: How to Stand Up to a Dictator, by Maria Ressa Where has the Humanitarian Sector got to on Localization? Great new update From Penury to Prosperity. The Churches at the Epicentre of social-economic Transformation I’m doing a new edition of How Change Happens – any

ALNAP, which describes itself as a ‘a global network dedicated to learning how to improve response to humanitarian crises’, has just published a really good series of ‘essential briefings for humanitarian decision makers’. Proper grown-up sitreps, full of difficult questions with no easy answers (and quite a few unexplained acronyms, which can make them a bit inaccessible). The one that jumped out

Kudos to the Economist’s graphics team. Some recent examples: It’s continuing to do important analysis of excess deaths from Covid. ‘the world’s current total mortality rate exceeds projections from 2019 by 5%, or 3m lives per year.’ = 4th leading cause of death worldwide Striking picture of the shift of global economic centre of gravity since 1990s, with obvious (geo)political

Links I LikedReforming the World Bank: some good ideas, but where’s the power, politics and feasibility?How to get people to take the Care Economy seriously? Some top (evidence-based) tips

Spent a half day at ODI recently discussing the reform of the Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) – the global ones like World Bank, the regional ones like the Asia or African Development Bank, and the new ones like the BRICs Bank. It was interesting for what was said, but also for what was missing. First what was said: On World

Only Nikola Tesla describing a cell phone in an interview conducted by journalist John B. Kennedy. In 1926. Oxfam’s newly updated Make Change Happen course for activists opens on June 19th. 8 week free online course developed in partnership with Open University. Super popular 15k registered for first version and their feedback was v +ve. Deets and register here Some

Where thinking and working politically meets gender: tactics that have workedPodcast + transcript: did we get it wrong on land grabs in Africa? In Conversation with Laura GermanHow do we Start Thinking About AI and Development? (one post by me, one by ChatGPT!)What does politically smart support to democracy and human rights look like?Can humanitarian experience guide the development of

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Coronation humour: props to Tescos, hope no-one lost their job The Long, Slow Death of Global Development – American Affairs Journal. Big sweep piece arguing that previous exit strategies no longer work and no-one knows what to do next ht Irene Guijt Naomi Hossain: ‘What has changed since the Rana Plaza factory collapse? Labor leaders tells us that work are

Me talking you through the week’s posts, while you do the washing up/kill it at the gym. Covers: Links I LikedAid in ‘Politically Estranged Settings’ and the Disappointment Cycle of reading new papersBook Review: Reimagining Civil Society Collaborations in Development: Starting from the SouthChatGPT: implications for teaching, how it analyses Brexit and the link to Psychoanalysis 

Hi guys, back from holidays and busily catching up on the reading/timeline backlog. Here are some highlights LSE guidance on how to spot students using ChatGPT (what else?!). Does this remind you of any of your colleagues? 😉 Some nice practical suggestions for how to use it in your work to save time/look smarter What Will Happen in Sudan? Excellent

30 minutes of me talking you through the week’s posts, and adding the odd commentary Citizen action for accountability in challenging contexts: What have we learned? Venture Philanthropy and Asset Based Community-Driven Development – a marriage made in heaven? The Revenge of Power: A Great Book that will help you better understand Modern PoliticsFood and energy protests signal failures of accountability on