Here’s your bumper edition of Saturday morning reading…
1. Why you shouldn’t post photos of kids to Facebook | Brendan Rigby and Weh Yeoh – WhyDev
I think a lot of us (including myself) can learn from this one.
“Posting children’s photos is not only irresponsible and disrespectful, it’s also potentially dangerous. […]
So, next time you’re about to hit “post” on that cute photo of a child, think about whether you’d do the same if you were in your local supermarket, in front of your neighbour’s house or down at your local school.”
2. Five reasons why everyone should work for a large organization at some point in their international development careers | Tobias Denskus – Aidnography
The handy TL:DR summary of this post:
“Look beyond bureaucratic stereotypes when engaging with large development organizations; these organizations can offer a lot of insights into the development system, are often better at ‘practicing what they preach’ and can teach you skills and views that are still essential in a ‘digital’ world; do join one at some point in your life and career!”
3. How to avoid aid and development writing pitfalls | Stephanie Buck – Until the Lions
Avoid jargon, simplify, don’t bury the lead, make connections, don’t use flowery language and use the active voice. Solid advice.
4. Five myths about governance and development | David Booth – Overseas Development Institute (ODI)
Myths include that good governance is important for development, that it is a suitable entry point for reform and that African regimes cannot do problem-driven adaptive reform. I’m trying to disprove this last one myself this year.
5. The Aid Industry. The Media | J. – AidSpeak
J. tells us what he really thinks about the report telling us what the media really thinks about the aid industry. I’m waiting for a journalist to tell us what they really think of this article. This reminds me of Duncan Green’s point from last week about what it’s like to be on the end of a critical report that doesn’t reflect the complexity of the situation.
6. The Men Who Are With Us | Linda Scott – Double X Economy
A powerful piece.
“This painful admission is what we are asking of our men. To ask them to see that they are part of a great injustice is not impersonal or abstract. If you are a male, you have to own your part, just as I, as a white, had to own my complicity in the segregated society. Because this is a such a big deal on a personal level, we must always cherish the men who have made a commitment to justice for women and never take them for granted.”
7. Provide Energy to Fight Poverty | Morgan D. Bazilian – Foreign Affairs
Energy poverty plays a role in may other forms of deprivation but it looks like it’s now becoming more of a donor priority – indeed, according to CGD research infrastructure is a priority for both African leaders and citizens. However, “given the scale of the problem, tackling energy poverty requires bold government action” and this of course does not just require a technical fix (or just off-grid solutions) but improvements in government capacity and customer service.