Blogging
Aaron Swartz, who died on January 11th, worked and fought for key freedoms of our time: the right to information, to share knowledge and ideas, and to speak freely. This blog post considers the importance of these issues for development, and what we might do to continue his fight.
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This blog post first appeared on the Media and Government site. It suggests that new media is not just a faster and 24 hour news channel. The political economy of media is changing in three important ways.
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(h/t Amanda Glassman)
A View from the Cave has a survey on the best blogs on aid and development.
Surprisingly many people prefer to receive this blog by email than to visit the website or use the RSS feed. (You can sign up for the email on the blog page or here.)
For the last two… Continue reading
Walking home today after having lunch in a nearby cafe, I was asked for money by a middle aged man suffering from podoconiosis, sometimes called Mossy Foot.
The foot of a person suffering from podoconiosis
I bet you… Continue reading
Social media
I can think of a couple of organisations which have embraced social media exactly like this:
New aidinfo website
In work-related geek news, my team has a brilliant new website: http://www.aidinfo.org. (I can call it brilliant without… Continue reading
Here is really nice animated talk by Dan Pink on what really motivates us. He says that monetary incentives work for simple, straightforward tasks, but they don't work at all well for tasks that require conceptual and creative thinking. According to him, what motivates people is autonomy, mastery and purpose. One conclusion I draw from this is that there are probably a lot more people than you might think who would be willing to spend a lot of time and effort helping to make the world a better place by reducing poverty, if we did a better job of enabling them to give their time and abilities.
Continue reading… is here. Simon’s stuff is always well worth reading – he has an enviable ability to synthesize ideas from across disciplines, and explain them with a coherent narrative.
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… Continue reading
I generally assume that people who read blogs use an RSS reader, like Google Reader or FeedDemon (which is what I use), rather than hopping from one website to another in your web browser. You can even use Outlook… Continue reading
Good news: the Center for Global Development has started a new podcast series, the Global Prosperity Wonkcast.
In this first episode, host Lawrence Macdonald talks to Todd Moss about his new paper, Saving Ghana from Its Oil: The Case… Continue reading
Chris Blattman has a thoughtful post about his decision to continue blogging.
He gives a bunch of reasons – to paraphrase, they are: (a) it is way to have influence; (b) it is probably a good career more; (c) it… Continue reading
Ryan Briggs has a good round up of development-related podcasts
Fall classes have started again so my time on the DC metro has increased greatly. The commuting has meant that I’ve been blowing through podcasts at an alarming rate, and… Continue reading
Here is a job I might have applied for if I were in London: Director of Digital Engagement:
Develop a strategy and implementation plan for extending digital engagement across Government
But I’m quite glad not to be eligible. Here… Continue reading
- Ngaire Woods on what Africa needs from the G20
- Bill Easterly’s new AidWatch blog
- The Global Crisis Debate in the run up to the G20 (moderated by Dani Rodrik)
- Simon Maxwell’s reflections on Davos
Jeremy Gould, one of the few civil servants who “gets” the internet, is leaving to spend more time with his family.
I’ve been scouting around for a new challenge in Whitehall for a long time now but the truth… Continue reading
The Cabinet Office has now published guidance for civil servants for blogging and participation in online sites.
How the Civil Service Code applies to online participation
The Civil Service Code applies to your participation online as a civil servant or… 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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Waste not, want notApril 1, 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