23 January 2020
Recent work
Showing 1–12 of 849 results
Opinion
Rebooting the Digital Principles
The Principles for Digital Development were written in 2012 by a group of international donors and multilateral organisations. They are a great point of reference to guide practitioners applying digital technologies to development programs. In 2015 USAID led a successful process to recruit 50...
22 January 2020
Opinion
Risky business: five questions for the World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report is now published, and as you might expect, concerns about climate change and ecological collapse are strongly featured. Based on the views of 750 ‘global experts and decision makers’, along with facts, figures and projections from various...
22 January 2020
Opinion
Pandemics – social sciences are vital, but we must take the next steps
The current outbreak of a novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China has cast a spotlight once again on infectious disease epidemics as a vital global challenge. As evidence emerges that the virus – thought to have zoonotic origins in a food market – can transmit between people; as case numbers rise...
22 January 2020
Opinion
Why embracing uncertainty could help us to face the future
If the first few weeks of 2020 are anything to go by, this year looks set to be a turbulent one. Wildfires in Australia have caused devastation. Indonesia is shocked by severe flooding in its capital. The latest chapter in conflict in the Middle East threatens to escalate, but nobody knows what...
21 January 2020
Opinion
It is time to abandon the false distinction between science and advocacy
As the Natural History Museum declares a planetary emergency, can we finally stop pretending that research can be separated from activism? The UK’s Natural History Museum has declared a planetary emergency. Their announcement is part of the museum’s new strategy, in which it sets out its...
21 January 2020
Opinion
Awards for Egyptian Copts who help protect heritage under threat
Last week, 86 young Egyptian Copts from Upper Egypt celebrated their past and future as “heritage collectors”. Karen Fanous was there to capture the buzz. On the 15 of January 2020, 86 heritage collectors from 34 different communities in Upper Egypt, together with their team...
21 January 2020
20 January 2020
Opinion
Democratising economic power – reflections on Davos
As the world’s economic elites gather in Davos, I am reflecting on a blog I wrote last year in reaction to the 2019 World Economic Forum focus on “Globalisation 4.0”. Entitled ‘Putting the spotlight on “participation” in economic alternatives’, the blog questioned the Davos model...
20 January 2020
Opinion
UK-Africa investment must not overlook African entrepreneurs
On 20 January, the UK-Africa Investment Summit takes place in London. According to DFID, the focus is on “investment opportunities”, “lasting partnerships”, “jobs, growth and sustainability”. A forthcoming paper I have been working on with colleagues from Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya,...
17 January 2020
17 January 2020
Opinion
Life for women living on an Ebola border
On the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, separated only by the River Lhubhiriha, people share cultural, social, political and economic activities. Their lives flow across the border, for example, Congolese women constitute the highest proportion of women who give birth...
16 January 2020