Ok, it’s a bit late, but if you’re stumped for a Christmas present for an intellectually curious friend or relative, I’ve got a top recommendation. Ha-Joon Chang’s latest book, Edible Economics, is a (Christmas) cracker. Full disclosure: Ha-Joon is an old and good friend. Since we first met in the late 1990s, when he was writing Kicking Away the Ladder,

Harry Potter’s characters, if written by Dostoevsky ht Andrey Mir Calling all social change leaders! Start your journey now by applying to the fully-funded Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity programme at LSE Inequalities Institute. Applications by 5pm GMT on 12 January 2023. Unhinged and disturbing ad for roller skating, c/o Hayley Clarkin Believing the risks of mismanagement, corruption,

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Guest post from Laura Adams, Director of Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning at CSM-STAND, a USAID-funded global civil society and media program, led by Pact. When international development programs want people to get vaccinated, the behavior they are targeting is clear, even if the complex set of things that influence that behavior take time and effort to address. Social and

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Ran a little poll while we still have twitter Heads up inequality peeps. Applications now open for Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity (AFSEE) programme. Fully-funded fellowship for mid-career policymakers, activists, practitioners, and researchers. Application deadline 12 January 2023. UK government announcement that aid funding is again open to Oxfam. Next question – should we take it? If Adam

Reposting (with permission) this great piece from the New Statesman – ht Irene Guijt Those facing flood and fire can’t afford to lose hope. Neither should we. By Rebecca Solnit When you take on hope, you take on its opposites and opponents: despair, defeatism, cynicism and pessimism. And, I would argue, optimism. What all these enemies of hope have in common

Shoe shopping in Chester (and everywhere else) ht No Context Brits It’s all about Elon Musk on twitter these days, but some more important stuff did manage to get through. Let’s start with the twitter meltdown first tho: First, people have rapidly twigged that you can set up a bogus ‘verified’ account by paying $8 a month, with astonishing results.

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Gave a ‘Sussex Development Lecture’ last week. The title (with apologies to John Lennon): ‘Imagine there‘s no Money; It‘s easy if you try‘. Here’s the powerpoint – feel free to nick the slides. Some points from what I learned both from writing the lecture and the Q&A: Firstly, on aid quantity, I have been trapped in a bit of a

The prospects for war with China: Why Chris Blattman sees a serious chance of World War III in the next decade Oxfam is expanding its paid trainee scheme. Spend 15 months working for Oxfam GB . No formal qualifications needed; just a commitment to fight for a more equal world. Apply by 9 Nov. Five international NGOs launch fresh bid

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