June 13, 2022
Brief history of physics ht @sunny and Richard C. Some interesting stuff on aid this week: ‘If you look at the bigger picture of change, aid has been close to irrelevant’. Stefan Dercon rattling cages about his new book. But surely aid still matters for things other than ‘big picture’ growth, like helping in crises, showing solidarity, reducing inequality, supporting
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Development Nutshell: round-up (20m) of FP2P posts, w/b 6th June
June 11, 2022
No excerpt
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Links I Liked
June 7, 2022
From our local Jubilee street party. Neat (if unintended) summary of state of union, monarchy, hangovers…. What if Putin’s true goals are different? Branko Milanovic wonders if the West is playing into Putin’s hands, by building a ‘new iron curtain’. A country-by-country guide to worsening drought in the Horn of Africa. (Actually, drought + war, as several people pointed out)
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Promoting anti-racist narratives in development sector research
May 31, 2022
The IIED’s Natalie Lartey explores common challenges in tackling racial bias in the storytelling that underpins international development research and identifies opportunities for change. Storytelling in the aid and development sectors has for many years been criticised for perpetuating racial stereotypes and bias. In the main, this critique has focused on public affairs content from big brand charities, with less time
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Links I Liked
May 30, 2022
How structural racism shows up in peacebuilding, from new Peace Direct report ht Shuna Keen How Not to End Mass Starvation. Alex de Waal argues it’s no use asking for money if you ignore conflict and war Lot of Aussie friends are VERY excited about Penny Wong, their new Foreign/Aid Minister ‘The UK has a little less than 24 months
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Development Nutshell: round-up (22m) of FP2P posts, w/b 23rd May
May 28, 2022
No excerpt
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Links I Liked
May 23, 2022
Mainly visuals this week: Pfizer profits. Nuff said. Branko Milanovic on Amartya Sen’s “Home in the World: A Memoir” – one of those reviews that makes you want to buy the book (instead of being an alternative to buying it) glineq.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-ma… Leadership tips from James Timpson. Especially the last 3. Here’s everyone who has ever lived in one graphic… ht
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Development Nutshell: round-up (24m) of FP2P posts, w/b 16th May
May 21, 2022
No excerpt
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Links I Liked
May 16, 2022
We start with Russian wreckage: Any good explanations for why a tumble dryer was to be seen in the remains of this Russian helicopter in Ukraine? Someone actually made a David Attenborough style voiceover for this video of a destroyed Russian tank. Ht Christian Borys The changing way young people engage with climate change. ‘They didn’t need to hear about
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Development Nutshell: round-up (18m) of FP2P posts, w/b 9th May
May 14, 2022
No excerpt
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How Should Academics talk to Decision-Makers? Some Interesting New Research
May 11, 2022
I’m not a great fan of post-growth/degrowth debates – not enough emphasis on how to actually change policy for my liking (compared to the ‘I’m right, the planet is frying, why won’t you listen!’ school of advocacy). But a new paper by the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity caught my eye because it explores precisely that interface between
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Theories of Change, the muddy middle, and what to do about assumptions
May 10, 2022
Spent a happy 90 minutes last week connecting with a bunch of Oxfam campaigners taking part in its excellent Campaigns and Advocacy Leadership Programme. They had asked to discuss something which already feels a bit last decade – Theories of Change (ToCs). My random thoughts (powerpoint below) were cautiously worded, because I have a growing fear that in becoming a
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