It would be invidious to recommend particular blogs, and what’s the point of having a blog if you can’t be invidious? So, if you only read a few development blogs, here is my list of who I think you should be reading. I expect I have embarrassed myself by leaving out somebody crucial – if so, please tell me in the comments and I’ll fix it. I’ve also updated the blogroll on the right of the page.
Development blogs you should be reading
To make this pleasingly controversial, I’ve also put them roughly in order, from “must read” at the top to “probably should read”. I’m not going in for that “in no particular order” fence-sitting stuff.
- Chris Blattman
- Duncan Green
- Bill Easterly (and colleagues)
- Aid Thoughts
- Karen Grepin
- Blood and Milk and everything else by Alana Shaikh
- Texas in Africa
- Global Dashboard
- Wronging Rights
- Tales from the Hood
- Transitionland
- White African
- Good Intentions Are Not Enough
- Hand Relief International (spoof)
- Wandering Thoughts
- Rethinking Development Economics
- Aid on the Edge of Chaos
- last and least, me: Owen Abroad
If you want an email whenever this blog is updated, please put your email address in the box top right.
Development organisations and think-tanks
Here are some blogs from development organisations and think tanks – some of them can err on the wrong side of the blog/flog boundary from time to time. Again, best ones are first.
- Center for Global Development(disclosure: I work here)
- Shanta Devarajan at the World Bank
- Global Economic Governance group at Oxford
- Aidinfo (disclosure: I work here)
- Development Initiatives (disclosure: I work here)
- Publish What You Fund
- Danny Kaufmann at Brookings
- UK Department for International Development bloggers
- Ideas 4 development
- Overseas Development Institute (ODI) Blog
Development podcasts
Here are some development-related podcasts. (I’m about to start a new series of Development Drums, by the way).
- Development Drums (self publicity alert!)
- The Center for Global Development Prosperity Wonkcast
- Think Before You Give
- BBC Africa Today
- Peterson Perspectives
- PRI: Global Health and Development
- The World Bank Podcasts
- Philanthropy This Week
- PRI: The Changing World
Bubbling up: newer development blogs
Here are some more you might want check out – they are too new (to me, at least) or slightly off-topic to be included in my “must read” list, but they look promising:
- Access to Action
- Do No Harm – by folks at the London School of Economics
- Waylaid Dialectic
- Lindsay Morgan’s Despatches
- Wait … What?
And of course there are more also-rans and off-topic blogs on the right of the screen.
On Twitter
If you are a Twitter user, you might be interested to add these to your list of people you follow:
- A list of Center for Global Development Fellows on Twitter
- Jim Cashel’s list of global development types on Twitter
- Mike Gechter’s list
Who are we missing?
I’m looking forward to being introduced to new blogs, and being reminded of blogs I’ve forgotten, in the comments.
40 Responses to Development blogs you should read
Owen Barder is the Europe Director at the Center for Global Development. He writes here about development, economics, politics, computers, running, and anything else that interests him. He also hosts Development Drums.
Tax, trade, transparency … & turfApril 23, 2013
1 comments
For the first time ever (World Bank edition)April 19, 2013
4 comments
The Europe Development DigestApril 16, 2013
0 comments
Are rich countries ‘getting away with murder’ by massaging aid figures?April 11, 2013
0 comments
Global wealth inequalityApril 8, 2013
1 comments
Waste not, want notApril 1, 2013
0 comments
Great list Owen, thanks.
Two that I also like are http://www.theroadtothehorizon.org/ for snippets of information, and although its a completely different style to the ones you list, http://www.afrigadget.com/ always intrigues.
You forgot Rachel Strohm: http://rachelstrohm.com/
I am also a fan of the rarely updated Pyjama Samsara http://vasco-pyjama.livejournal.com/
And The Coming Prosperity has some interesting posts: http://thecomingprosperity.blogspot.com/
Barefoot Economics (http://barefooteconomics.ca/), Msafiri Muzungu (http://msafirimuzungu.wordpress.com/), and The First Mile (http://atdaybreak.wordpress.com/) are on my regular reading list
This is a great list, Owen. Chris Blattman’s blog is also my #1, and my NYU colleague Bill Easterly is also high on my list. I’d also add the Financial Access Initiative blog–I think we’ve got some interesting things to say about using rigorous research to find answers to how financial sectors can better meet the needs of poor households.
Blog at http://financialaccess.org/blog and on Twitter @financialaccess
Did you check out the blogging competition Think About It! ? I am sure readers of Owen Abroad will find some interesting things there.
And yes, I am a participant. Big self publicity alert
You’re blog is great Owen and many of the blogs you’ve listed are my go-tos for aid insights. One you’ve missed though is Wanderlust (http://morealtitude.wordpress.com/) which has a wonderful mix of experiences from emergencies, critiques and fantastic photography.
Hi Owen – thanks for putting a really useful list together. I’m going to “toot my own horn” a little and introduce you to the University of Ottawa’s development blog. It’s written by students of the Faculty of Social Sciences who are doing placements abroad, all over the world: http://web5.uottawa.ca/ssms/blogs/international/
This is like turning on the radio and finding a great song you’ve never heard before. Thank you.
I like Pambazuka News’ themed weekly round ups of African bloggers called Blogging Africa. From there I’ve found Can? We? Save? Africa? by Wanjiru.
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/blog/
http://savingafrica.wordpress.com/
Thanks Owen!
My vote for best Podcast (or second best after Development Drums) is the LSE’s public talk series:
http://www.lse.ac.uk/resources/podcasts/publicLecturesAndEvents.htm
It’s not all development, but in between the science and the literature you can find all sorts of gems: Chomsky on human rights; Zizek on ideology; Rodrik, Held and Patton on globalisation, Duflo on Rural Development; Krugman on trade, Jolly on the UN…I can’t recommend it enough.
On the subject of the LSE, your link to Do no Harm is broken. It should be: http://badcure.wordpress.com/
Thanks again.
Thanks, this is really useful. Can I also suggest Lawrence Haddad from the Institute of Development Studies blog – Development Horizons http://www.developmenthorizons.com/
Just to add my note of thanks Owen. A great list made even better by reader comments.
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Owen,
I recently launched a blog on the World Bank and transparency and accountability issues as well as thoughts on reforms. I worked at the World Bank for 12 years where I managed B-SPAN, the World Bank’s webcasting station for development and I am the author of The World Bank Unveiled: Inside the Revolutionary Struggle for Transparency. The World Bank Unveiled documents my experiences inside the Bank seeking to reform the institution into one that is more open and accountable to its stakeholders. If you are interested, you may visit the blog at http://theworldbankunveiled.wordpress.com/ or read more about the book at http://www.worldbankunveiled.com.
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Hi Owen, Thanks for adding the blog I manage to your list of recommendations. The Rethinking Development blog started two years ago and was originally intended to be a team blog, however due to other people’s time constraints, I am managing it alone. As the sole manager though this kind of defeats the original idea of having diverse views from different people in one place. So I would like to extend an invitation to all those readers of this blog, who may not have their own blogs but who are interested in sending in contributions to be put up on our blog or have any interesting bits of research work that they would like to have publicised on the net. I would be happy to upload their views on our blog!
Thanks again, Sumita
Owen,
Great list and comments -may not be in the same league but some of the field reports from some DFID bloggers can be insightful – http://blogs.dfid.gov.uk
Ray
Hi Owen,
really like the blog,I´d be really interested to know how you think the recent developed country commitments to adaptation finance is going to affects aid and development policy in general. I have to say it does worry me that large amounts of money are being talked about but few people have a very clear idea of exactly what this money will, and should, be used for, whether it will fund large development projects, or sea defenses, or general institutional capacity building. Anyway I thought I´d cheekily take this opportunity to let you know about our new blog at IIED, Due South, where we look at the effects of the recession on sustainable development. We´re going to sort out a blogroll shortly, and I´d be interested in your comments. Thanks so much!
Rachel Godfrey Wood
Due South Blog, IIED
http://www.iied.org/sustainable-markets/blog/due-south
Just FYI, IRIN has a weekly podcast ‘IRIN Talks’ on humanitarian issues.
http://irinnews.org/radio
Ben
IRIN
Nairobi
There is also the World Bank Development Marketplace blog:
http://blogs.worldbank.org/dmblog/
It covers the Development Marketplace program and Innovation in Development. Full disclosure I run the blog.
Richard
You might be interested in the Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog http://agro.biodiver.se. Focuses on the contribution that agricultural biodiversity can and should make to sustainable development.
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I assume from this list that Africans don’t blog on development matters related to the continent?!
Its a great pity.
I happen to know quite a number of good African bloggers who are economists. Let us try and be less imperialist
Owen replies – I agree that we want to hear more from people from developing countries. Which African bloggers who write about development economics do you recommend? Owen
There are many such, but one which I found by looking from your review of Moyo’s book.
The Zambian Economist http://www.zambian-economist.com clearly is far better than many of the blogs you have listed above!
We need authentic voices. I can tell more Africans are reading that website than the ones you are highlighting. Africans are now looking to Africans to shape their understanding. This is why Moyo, despite her flaws is a success!
In the Caribbean we have similar voices : http://www.normangirvan.info/
I suggest you look into this issue seriously and find authentic voices by engaging these two voices for example!
Owen replies: I’m not disagreeing. Please keep suggesting others.
Innovations for Poverty Action?
poverty-action.org/blog
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Hi Owen,
Just a couple of suggestions for blogs and podcasts:
1) Blog – whydev.org (www.whydev.org) – a site and network created by development students and graduates, which brings together contributors from around the world (disclaimer: a little self-promotion).
2) Podcast – Aidworks – Australia’s only weekly radio show and podcast on aid and development. http://www.2ser.com/programs/shows/aidworks
We are also putting together a ‘Development Bundle’ over at curated.by, which will be an open collection of blogs, sites and resources on aid and development. http://www.curated.by/whydev/development.
Cheers,
Thanks Brendan. Good tips, both.
Owen
Hey Owen,
Great list, I’ve started following many of the blogs you have listed. Take a look at the blog for the organization Of Rags: Sustainable Fashion, its an interesting perspective on community development through providing jobs to make clothing and then reinvesting in the community through a peer education program.
Thanks!
Doreen
May I suggest Mercy Corps’ blog of their work around the world? Check it out: http://www.mercycorps.org/blog.
Hey Owen,
Thanks for sharing this.
For the latest in global health R&D policy research check out http://healthresearchpolicy.org/blog-
Full disclosure- I work there.
Hi Owen,
This is a really useful list – and enlightening to read further suggestions by readers.
I’d like to recommend Simon Zadek’s blog – http://www.zadek.net which covers a wide range of issues i.e. green growth, ICT & low carbon development, emerging nations and sustainability, the china-africa relationship.
I’d like to point readers particularly to a recent post on private finance initiatives (PFIs)in which he highlights the effects of PFIs on financing infrastructure and public services in Africa, and other developing countries – http://www.zadek.net/partnership-shame/
Thanks,
Hello Owen,
Great site.
I would like to recommend “Living with Purpose”, a fairly new blog started by a bloke I worked with in Lesotho. His name is Ken and he had some pretty good insights into the whole game. I am sure he will start getting into those once he figures out the whole blogging milieu.
His blog is http://volunteer2serve.blogspot.com/
Thanks,
JByrd
Dear Owen,
if you like you may include our blog “CTA Brussels” in your list of development organisations. On http://brussels.cta.int, we cover the relations between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, with a particular focus on agriculture, rural development and food security.
Best regards and keep up the good work,
Andre
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Owen,
Great suggestions.
But WHY have you not included http://www.stuffexpataidworkerslike.com? Insightful, funny and far easier to digest first thing in the morning.
Cheers
Dear Owen,
Thank you for this list, very useful.
You might consider adding the Inter-American Development Bank’s blogs on development:
http://blogs.iadb.org/en/
They include education, climate change, development effectiveness, ICT for development, and Haiti.
Thank you,
Luis
I think that one must include the Institute of Development Studies on this list—their Bulletins are especially noteworthy:
http://www.ids.ac.uk/
http://www.ids.ac.uk/go/bookshop/ids-bulletin
http://participationpower.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/participation-team-online-blogging-highlights-from-2011/
http://www.developmenthorizons.com/
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Great list, I’ve already added some of this to my blog roll.
Here is another suggestion: http://ygtainternational.wordpress.com/
A blog about young leaders from various YMCAs around the world (Senegal, Ghana, Toronto, Colombia) and their mutual cooperation to build stronger communities and healthier children within their countries.