Category: Development

Development

Why should International NGOs care about Global Democratic Theory?

My colleague Dan Bray has just written a very interesting book with Steven Slaughter called Global Democratic Theory: A Critical Introduction. The book considers why new forms of democracy need to be developed beyond the nation-state and how greater public participation and accountability can be brought to global institutions.  In the first part the authors analyse how global dynamics have limited the meaningful choices available … Continue reading Why should International NGOs care about Global Democratic Theory?

Unknown's avatarpracticeforchangeLeave a comment
Development, ICT

Researching ICTs in Melanesia

Research Fellow Tait Brimacombe on her recent discoveries in the world of ICTs in development… Last week I was fortunate to attend a two-day workshop run by SSGM, ANU. The workshop ICTs in Melanesia: Building a Research Community brought together a small interdisciplinary group of researchers with an interest in digital research methods, and theoretical perspectives on information communication technologies (ICTs) in Melanesia. Over the two … Continue reading Researching ICTs in Melanesia

Unknown's avatarpracticeforchangeLeave a comment
Development

In defense of the (careful) use of algorithms and the need for dialogue between tacit (expertise) and explicit (rules) forms of knowledge

Chris Roche recently wrote on the links between medicine and development. Rick Davies, monitoring and evaluation consultant, provides a different perspective on this topic in this repost from his blog, Rick On the Road. This blog posting is a response to the following paper now available online Greenhalgh, T., Howick, J., Maskrey, N., 2014. Evidence based medicine: a movement in crisis? BMJ 348, http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g3725 Background: Chris Roche passed … Continue reading In defense of the (careful) use of algorithms and the need for dialogue between tacit (expertise) and explicit (rules) forms of knowledge

Unknown's avatarpracticeforchangeLeave a comment
Development

What has cancer taught me about the links between medicine and development?

Institute Director Chris Roche draws on his own experience with cancer to explore the links between medicine and development.  Our thanks go to Duncan Green who originally published this blog. In July last year I was diagnosed with a pancreatic neuro-endocrine tumour. This is a rare disease and thankfully usually not as lethal as exocrine pancreatic cancer. Some people getting this news decide to take up skydiving, … Continue reading What has cancer taught me about the links between medicine and development?

Unknown's avatarpracticeforchangeLeave a comment
Aid, Development

Micro-donors and micro-beneficiaries

The final blog in this three-part series by Aidan Craney, PhD candidate at La Trobe University, focuses on remittances and labour migration as a means of poverty reduction.  16 April 2015 What if the most effective way to get money into the hands of the poor and to raise people out of poverty in less-developed states had nothing to do with aid whatsoever? There is solid evidence that … Continue reading Micro-donors and micro-beneficiaries

Unknown's avatarpracticeforchangeLeave a comment
Aid, Development

The Politics of Inequality

Research Fellow Tait Brimacombe reflects on her recent trip to the UK for the Developmental Leadership Program’s Annual Conference. See here for conference materials and additional information. 31 March 2015 In February I travelled to the UK with the Institute’s Director Chris Roche and Research Fellow Gillian Fletcher for the 2015 Developmental Leadership Program (DLP) Annual Conference. The day-long event welcomed over 120 delegates from a variety … Continue reading The Politics of Inequality

Unknown's avatarpracticeforchangeLeave a comment
Aid, Development, Pacific

No, Seriously, Free Money

This three-part series by Aidan Craney, PhD candidate at La Trobe University, examines the different perspectives towards finances of people in donor and recipient countries.  It looks at current debates about how to improve the efficiency of donor dollars and how to assist poor people in less-developed states to escape extreme poverty.  See here for the first blog in this series. 9 April 2015 In 2013, Chris Blattman caused … Continue reading No, Seriously, Free Money

Unknown's avatarpracticeforchangeLeave a comment
Aid, Development

2015 may be important but it’s the long haul at the national level that counts

May Miller-Dawkins, Head of Research at Corelab, discusses the upcoming Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  Our thanks go to May for this blog, and to the Overseas Development Institute for whom this research was originally published. The SDGs are due to replace the MDGs at the end of 2015.  The Institute is interested in the potential effects of the SDGs on those engaged in social change; for example, whether the incentives provided will … Continue reading 2015 may be important but it’s the long haul at the national level that counts

Unknown's avatarpracticeforchangeLeave a comment
Aid, Development, Pacific

The Cost of Free Money

This three-part series by Aidan Craney, PhD candidate at La Trobe University, examines the different perspectives towards finances of people in donor and recipient countries.  It looks at current debates about how to improve the efficiency of donor dollars and how to assist poor people in less-developed states to escape extreme poverty.  27 March 2015 To open up the discussion, I will look at a paper from Joseph Henrich, … Continue reading The Cost of Free Money

Unknown's avatarpracticeforchangeLeave a comment
Aid, Development

Innovation: transactional or transformative?

By Chris Roche Innovation has become a popular word in international development. In Australia today, Bjorn Lomborg helped to formally open DFAT’s much heralded Innovation Hub – which included the announcement of InnovationXchange, an initiative designed to ‘identify, trial and scale up successful approaches’. The US and the UK already have the Development Innovation Ventures programme. Australia got in on the I-word when Australian Foreign … Continue reading Innovation: transactional or transformative?

Unknown's avatarpracticeforchangeLeave a comment