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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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)

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

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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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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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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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

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