NGOs
In which I am sceptical about a proposed new public-private partnership to tackle hunger.
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In the second of a series of three Development Drums podcasts about the relationship between citizens, states and development, Duncan Green talks about effective states and active citizens. Duncan is widely known for his terrific development blog; he is also the author of an ambitious book, From Poverty to Power, which is now out in its second edition.
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I'm quoted in a blog post at the Economist today about aid transparency:
Continue readingMs Greening’s strategy is the requirement that any organisation receiving DfID funds publish clear information about where the money is going. This far-reaching transparency initiative is potentially a “game-changer”, says Owen Barder, a senior fellow and director for Europe at the Center for Global Development, a Washington, DC-based think tank.
In an article for the Guardian's (new) Global Development Professionals Network I argue that development policy in the 21st century needs be about more than administering aid.
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A blog post linking to an article by Mark Tran in the Guardian. The article quotes me saying: "The risk is that the G8 will think that they can address these issues by earmarking some of their aid programmes and they will not feel under pressure to make the systemic changes which only they can make."
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Two reasons why I am concerned about plans for a big campaign in 2013 on food, agriculture, hunger, food security and nutrition.
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If you read this blog, you might be interested in this job with the good people at Global Integrity. The post is based in Washington DC:
Project Manager – This position will play a key role in managing and… Continue reading
Two interesting new articles start with the premise that the aid system needs to be overhauled, and then reach radically different conclusions about what this means in practice.
First up, Roger Riddell says we need a radical rethink… Continue reading
A new Oxfam paper, written by the excellent Jasmine Burnley, looks at 21st Century aid. Here is a good summary paragraph:
“We are now at a crossroads. On the one side, is politically motivated or ineffective aid – much… Continue reading
Nick Kristof writes approvingly in the New York Times about faith based aid organisations:
Some liberals are pushing to end the longtime practice (it’s a myth that this started with President George W. Bush) of channeling American aid through faith-based… Continue reading
I am grateful to Oxfam’s Duncan Green for his fair and thoughtful review of my paper about improving aid, Beyond Planning: Markets and Networks for Better Aid.
I’m glad that Duncan and Chris, his Oxfam colleague, endorse a… Continue reading
I have been contacted through my website by somebody saying:
we are working to save lives orphans in south Ethiopia, Wolaita. but still we don’t have our own website to spread our works and sounds of orphans. please try… Continue reading
I love this black humour about useless NGOs:
It reminds me of a joke that we had in Malawi about the proliferation of useless (and often fraudulent) NGOs – we talked about the NGO TWACIB, which stood for “Two… Continue reading
I know it is a cliché, but if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Oxfam’s new campaign urges us to believe that they have designed a package of measures that would give $280 billion to the… Continue reading
Tim Harford has an interesting article in this weekend’s Financial Times about private health and education in developing countries:
Imagine that your daily earnings were less than the price of this newspaper. Would you consider buying private education and private… Continue reading
The UK Department for International Development is to be commended for encouraging some of its staff to maintain a blog to explain to the public what they do.
In Bangladesh, Adam Jackson has posted some interesting reflections on his visit… Continue reading
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
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For the first time ever (World Bank edition)April 19, 2013
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The Europe Development DigestApril 16, 2013
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Are rich countries ‘getting away with murder’ by massaging aid figures?April 11, 2013
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Global wealth inequalityApril 8, 2013
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What has aid ever done for anyone?March 29, 2013
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Hello Owen, Stumbled on your website by accident…I’m currently trying to arange a visa for someone I work...May 16, 2013
Dear Biniam, Please refere to the following link. http://www.ethiotelecom.et/new s/news.php?id=85April 25, 2013
Hi all, I have the expereiance that blackberry phones will not work directly with the Ethio-telecom GPRS...April 25, 2013
Hi! The service provider in Ethiopia, Ethio – Telecom states the APN settings are the following: APN : etc.com...April 9, 2013
Interesting ideas, I wrote some thoughts on them here,April 24, 2013
”Today for the first time ever, I felt so relieved after I realized I wasn’t looking out making...April 19, 2013
Barack Obama (2/2013): “So the United States will join with our allies to eradicate such extreme poverty in...April 19, 2013
Owen: Where are we going with this? Is this a refutation of the power law of wealth distribution?April 10, 2013
Hey Abita check out my website as I may need a guide like you to help me run bike tours there, we just did...April 5, 2013
Hey Jeff enjoy the riding there–I have run several bike tours there out of Toronto and I love riding...April 5, 2013
Hi guys I totally disagree with your assessment of the children. I have ridden from Adiss to Lalibela 5...April 5, 2013
Hi Owen The long format works well for me because (like Robb) I enjoy getting into the substance and...April 1, 2013