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Hi all,

Another total round-up of cracking readings this week!

Development news: The WHO-Mugabe communication #fail; How cash helps inward Puerto Rico; the UN's ceremonial beehives; information risks & registering Rohingya; people move on sending besides much stuff to Houston; emergency sexwork; women's cooperatives; micro insurance for migrants inward Thailand; UN-reform; Jamaica's anti-queer violence & its colonial roots; working with United Nations bloggers, NIKE likes robots; Mozambique's forgotten East German linguistic communication history; 'purpose has move an empty slogan'.

Our digital lives: Working with Guardian's audience engagement; volition Google/Alphabet pick out over Toronto? Big information from the South.

Publications: Communicating vaccines; province fragility; social media inward Brazil; tech & migrants.

Academia: Reflections on Open Access Week.

Enjoy!

New from aidnography
H5N1 few reflections on the novel OECD flagship study on Data for Development

Almost correct from the get-go of the study ‘data’ is presented every bit a fairly stable entity, something statisticians deal inward a database on a calculator hard drive. Data does non seem to live on portion of a digital ecosystem. Yes, information tin live on a digitized Earth tape database, but information is also the fuel behind machine learning, algorithms, automation (a.k.a. robots), platform capitalism, social media, drones together with hence much more. I am surely non disputation that OECD countries themselves induce got the infrastructure together with regulations inward identify to sympathise everything from 3D printing to ‘the Internet of things’, but I was surprised of how isolated ‘data’ was oftentimes presented. Such an approach limits the discussions to traditional topics of capacity-building or enhanced cooperation together with leaves out transformational aspects-both skillful together with bad.

I read OECD's #2017DCR study on information & #globaldev & beak over some buzzwords, techno-politics & omissions https://t.co/OUGaAfF2Bb pic.twitter.com/SecJYFXxYU

— Tobias Denskus (@aidnography) October 26, 2017

Development news
It’s non hence surprising WHO’s novel manager tried to brand Robert Mugabe a goodwill ambassador

In fact, it is impossible to know whether Tedros was a vocalization of moderation inside his regime or how much of an deport upon his experience every bit a leader of an authoritarian regime shaped his thinking. Notwithstanding, his wishing to accolade 1 of the basis leaders most universally at odds with the values of WHO with an ambassadorship, albeit every bit a diplomatic engagement tactic, raises to a greater extent than questions than answers.

Mohamed Keita for Quartz. No thing how you lot stand upward on some of the speculations around the engagement is was a huge communication disaster for the novel manager of WHO!

Need Help In Puerto Rico? Here's $100

"Just a footling something to address immediate needs," says Jill Morehead, the caput of Mercy Corps' relief efforts on the island. "Cash helps give people dorsum dignity together with pick for determining their most basic needs, inward add-on to supporting local markets together with pocket-size businesses."
(...)
"It's to a greater extent than or less the same every bit welfare, which the States has had for a long time," says Amanda Glassman, a senior boyfriend at the Center for Global Development. "But what makes this actually interesting is that it's an NGO giving out the cash inward lieu of the government."
Since Mercy Corps arrived 4 weeks ago, it has already distributed 290 MasterCard prepaid debit cards, inward $150 to $200 increments, across the island. Funding comes from private together with private donors.

Malaka Gharib for NPR was embedded with Mercy Corps inward Puerto Rico together with reports on their approaches to cash-based aid.

A B-minus for United Nations conduct?

In that bizarre incident, a staff fellow member said implementing the UN’s complex enterprise software had been hence stressful that he stole ceremonial United Nations beehives. H5N1 disciplinary hearing report, published on 20 October, confirms the bizarre details. The Geneva staffer, who joined the United Nations inward 1991, stole 4 beehives from the grounds of the historic Palais des Nations together with hid them inward his garage. He repainted them together with threw away decorative plaques with noble inscriptions such every bit “peace” together with “justice”. The hives were gifts of the Swiss regime to the United Nations together with produced pocket-size amounts of honey.

Samuel Oakford for IRIN. I surely do non wishing to diminish some of the serious cases that are also mentioned inward the report, but 'ceremonial beehive' is a pretty special term that I learned this week...

Irresponsible data? The risks of registering the Rohingya

Using biometric information every bit proof of identity mightiness allow assist together with services to live on delivered to Rohingya refugees to a greater extent than effectively, but it’s a double-edged sword for several reasons:
Firstly, it tin live on used to drive repatriation (voluntary or otherwise). (...)
Secondly, it tin digitally enable discrimination. (...). If the database of Rohingya people were to live on leaked, hacked, or shared (for example, with the Myanmar government), it could brand it easier to deny Rohingya access to basic services, or target them, or discriminate against them. For example, Bangladeshi energy cell operators induce got been banned from selling SIM cards to Rohingya refugees. Biometric information could inward theory live on shared with energy cell operators to enforce the ban.
Thirdly, errors together with omissions tin live on harder to resolve.

Zara Rahman for IRIN with an of import reminder that information & safety are real political issues together with should non live on ignored fifty-fifty if at that topographic point is push clit per unit of measurement area to collect information inward an emergency situation.

Americans Are Sending Too Much Stuff to Houston

Third, donated goods tend non to render what communities need, when they necessitate them. Rose City had been overwhelmed past times secondhand clothing, for instance. There were piles of molding garments inward church building parking lots, together with rack upon rack of them inward warehouses together with regular army surplus tents around the town. Local residents were grateful for other Americans’ generosity, but mostly said that they did non wishing the used items, nor did they wishing to bother picking through them to honour create clean things that fit. “I’ll purchase my ain damn pants,” Richard Conner, a machinist whose dwelling theatre was severely H2O damaged, told me.

Annie Lowrey for The Atlantic with another, but good researched reminder that you lot should halt sending stuff subsequently humanitarian disasters!

Emergency sexwork: should NGOs recognize transactional sexual practice every bit livelihood strategy? past times Dorothea Hilhorst

I induce got difficulty accepting – every bit the column suggests – that sexwork inward the context of humanitarian crises must ever live on seen every bit sexual violence. To my mind, humanitarian actors should broaden their catch of transactional sexual practice beyond sexual violence together with admit that it is an of import aspect of livelihoods.There are of import reasons why the humanitarian basis should live on to a greater extent than explicitly concerned with transactional sex. Once it is recognized that transactional sexual practice is oftentimes a livelihood strategy, this would also opened upward the agency for the provision of services together with protection against some of the risks that come upward with the trade. 

Dorothea Hilhorst for the ISS blog with some challenging thoughts on the complexities of sexual encounters inward emergency situations.

SEWA Gitanjali Cooperative: H5N1 Social Enterprise inward the Making

H5N1 unique wages of a collective model for pitiable women, peculiarly inward resource-constrained together with socially conservative environments, is the added self-confidence or self-reliance that women obtain, contributing to their overall “empowerment,” inward add-on to increased voice, collective strength, together with bargaining powerfulness with authorities together with employers. H5N1 study of SEWA members showed that the presence of together with social back upward from a peer raised women’s piece of work aspirations, resulting inward higher concern income when they were trained inward concern skills with a friend; this was peculiarly the instance for women dependent champaign to conservative social norms

Mayra Buvinic, Tanvi Jaluka, together with Megan O'Donnell for the Center for Global Development render a measured overview over woman somebody employment, entrepreneurism together with 'empowerment' issues inward the context of Republic of Republic of India together with Bangladesh.

Launching Private Non-Profit eHealth Micro Insurance for Migrants inward Thailand

Among the main challenges foreseen every bit final result of this study for the set-up together with provision of this service were: a) obtaining the blessing from the Thai authorities, b) dealing with the economical vulnerability of the target group, c) collecting the monthly premium fee inward a rural context, d) addressing pre-existing weather together with chronic diseases, together with e) financing initial set-up costs. Many of these challenges induce got been addressed – regime back upward to operate the projection together with start-up funding induce got both been secured. The projection formally started inward Mae Sot on August 1st, 2017.

Olivier Alais for the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs shares some reflections on setting upward an micro-insurance scheme inward rural Thailand.

‘Security Council reform is dead’

The UN’s approach to evolution is even hence stuck inward the concluding century: at that topographic point are besides many offices duplicating each other, together with a lot of United Nations piece of work is straightaway rendered frankly irrelevant past times the ascent of China every bit a major global funder. So Guterres has plans to slim downwards the UN’s evolution footprint worldwide, together with also clarify lines of accountability dorsum to him every bit the leader of the organization. He’s trying to cutting through some of the bureaucracy.
Secondly he is prioritising management reform. We induce got a province of affairs across the United Nations scheme where nosotros induce got management rules that actively halt United Nations officials beingness flexible together with creative inward the field. Guterres says his personal priority is cutting away a lot of the management nonsense together with empowering United Nations officials on the ground, such every bit peacekeepers together with humanitarian workers, to assist the needy.

Richard Gowan talks to International Politics & Society well-nigh United Nations management together with reform.

You Can’t Understand Anti-Queer Violence In Jamaica Until You Understand Colonialism

The “culture of homophobia”, every bit hence crudely written past times Vogue, is non 1 alone of Jamaican creation, but a legacy of British colonialism. In recent years, activists together with researchers began speaking openly well-nigh Britain’s creation of a homophobic together with transphobic surround through their buggery laws, influencing non only Jamaica, but Nigeria, Botswana, India, together with the residue of territories confiscated past times the English linguistic communication crown.
(...)
Queer people inward Jamaica are non helped past times sensationalist, click-bait stories well-nigh their experiences where they confront danger from day-to-day — they are exploited for viral stories, falsely propped upward past times white savior complexes. By uplifting queer Afro-Caribbean activists groups on the island, such every bit RUDEBOI Society together with TransWave instead, media tin divest from the colonialist perception that only societies predominately white together with Western tin beingness able to “save” queer Black people from the rabid queerphobia that they face.

Shanna Collins with a powerful slice that 1 time once to a greater extent than sheds lite on the entrenched legacy of colonialism inward the Caribbean.

What did I larn from a twenty-four hr catamenia with the UN’s bloggers?

authors oftentimes panic at how footling infinite they induce got to beak over something, hence assay together with cram inward lots of wisdom past times using broad together with oftentimes pretty obvious generalizations ‘advocacy is of import to improve services’; ‘we must live on to a greater extent than innovative’. More than a span of those inward a row, together with your send service is dead inward the water, I reckon. Try nailing them downwards with a quick example, either existent or hypothetical. ‘In Chile, a combined crusade past times social movements together with academics persuaded the regime to do X’.

Duncan Green for fp2p with some practical advice on how acquire your evolution blogging theatre inward order...

Nike’s focus on robotics threatens Asia’s low-cost workforce

For Nike, the shift to greater automation has 2 huge attractions. By driving downwards costs, it could atomic number 82 to a dramatic improvement inward turn a profit margins. It would also allow the companionship to deliver novel designs to a greater extent than rapidly to fickle, fashion-conscious customers at a premium. H5N1 pair of Nike Roshe shoes costs $75 without Flyknit uppers, compared to every bit much every bit $130 with Flyknit. “Together, nosotros are modernising the footwear industry,” Chris Collier, Flex main fiscal officer, said before this twelvemonth well-nigh the company’s human relationship with Nike. “This is a long-term, multibillion-dollar human relationship for us, together with it is non measured inward the orbit of years but decades.”

Jennifer Bissell-Linsk for the Financial Times. Even if you lot may non live on able to access the total article, this quote is already an of import reminder of how disruptive automation/robots volition probable live on for low-skilled job inward the global South-and how footling companies tending well-nigh 'development' exterior a chip of charity together with CSR!

No More White Saviors: Let People Lead Their Own Movements

Men such every bit Darby, who pick out optic phase inward struggles they know zero about, who are applauded for doing so, together with who are excused for abusive behavior, don’t ever plow into informants for the FBI. But the truth is that they don’t induce got to. To brand this point, No More Heroes quotes scholar Courtney Desiree Morris’ essay “Why Misogynists Make Great Informants”: “Before or regardless of whether they are ever recruited past times the province to disrupt a motion or destabilize an organization, they’ve probable move good versed inward practices of disruptive behavior.”

Aura Bogado for Yes! Magazine reviews 'No More Heroes'.

Mozambique’s forgotten “East Germans” are even hence fighting for their communist payday

Yet for the magermans, history did non end, moving frictionlessly from a failed socialist past times to a prosperous capitalist present. Rather, they are stuck inward it. Jose is visited every twelvemonth past times Birgit, his enamorada from Dresden; others induce got half-Mozambican sons together with daughters they cannot consider for the lack of a visa; together with they are all united past times the dwindling hope that, 1 day, they volition have the life-changing amount they are rightfully owed. For now, admirably together with without expectation, Jose together with the repose volition send on their protestation to a regime together with province that no longer seem to tending

Sami Kent for Quartz. An interesting story that connects evolution together with politics 'at home' (although I grew upward inward West Germany) with global issues.

Why it’s fourth dimension to acquire uncomfortable well-nigh ‘purpose’ together with ‘meaning’

Once equipped with the close enemy lens, I could spot these clever confusions everywhere. In the global North’s assist to Niger. In Barclays’ glorious Banking on Change. In a attain of social enterprises whose large purpose, at the halt of the day, is rather hollow. In all those ways nosotros limited a disguised shape of compassion together with paternalism toward people living inward cultures dissimilar to our own, on soil exploited past times us.
(...)
We all portion a yearning for purpose, a wishing to know we’re leaving this basis inward a improve province than nosotros works life it. But looking around me, run has move a stylish yet hollow slogan — a catchphrase for anything that isn’t primarily well-nigh making large bucks, together with applies to anything that involves rolling upward your sleeves somewhere due south of the Equator.

My honey friend Agnes Otzelberger with of import personal reflections on her 'development' journeying together with a cracking start into her blogging career ;)!

Our digital lives
13 things I learned from half dozen years at the Guardian

Good journalism — especially skillful reportage — gives people something of import for which at that topographic point is no substitute. (So does skillful entertainment, of course.) Many people value it enormously and, if you’re known for providing it, they’ll come upward to await it together with trust you lot to a greater extent than every bit a result. There’s no police push clit that says people volition only read celebrity word or stuff you’ve nicked off the front end page of Reddit.The vast bulk of the Guardian’s most read pieces of all fourth dimension are high character journalism on serious topics.

Mary Hamilton with of import lessons for anyone who is 'doing media'.

Google’s programme to revolutionise cities is a takeover inward all but name

Aside from the institutional investors shopping for entire urban total blocks, Alphabet understands the existent audience for its cities: the global rich. For them, the narratives of data-driven sustainability together with algorithmically produced artisanal lifestyles – Sidewalk Labs fifty-fifty promises “a next-gen bazaar” replenished past times local communities of makers – are only some other agency to justify rising values of their belongings portfolios.
That Alphabet’s “urbanism every bit a service” mightiness non appeal to the residents of Toronto does non matter. As a existent estate project, its main destination is to impress its hereafter missing residents –above all, millions of Chinese millionaires flocking to Canada’s housing markets. Doctoroff was non equivocating when he told the Globe together with Mail that Alphabet’s Canadian venture “primarily is a real-estate play”.

Evgeny Morozov for The Guardian with yet some other of import reminder that the hereafter of platform capitalism volition live on an ever sophisticated platform running entire cities...

Big Data from the South: The get-go of a conversation nosotros must have

That said, nosotros would similar to encourage our colleagues to comprehend to a greater extent than explicitly a political economic scheme perspective, which tin assist us to pick out a critical aspect at the multiple forms of domination that reproduce together with perpetuate inequality, discrimination together with injustice at all levels. We also advocate for historical approaches able to describe the electrical flow unfolding of datafication dorsum to its roots inward colonial practices, when applicable (see Arora 2016). We propose engaging with feminist critiques together with ideas around the decolonization of technology. Finally, nosotros similar to shout out upward of this type of research every bit inherently ‘engaged’: spell adopting the aureate standards of solid scientific research, ‘engaged research’ mightiness pick out sides and, most importantly, is designed to brand a divergence to the communities nosotros come upward closed to.

Stefania Milan & Emiliano Treré outline a framework to engage with ICT4D together with information differently together with comprehend local Southern realities much stronger.

Publications
Communicating science-based messages on vaccines

“We are non trying to alter the minds of a tiny grouping of entrenched anti-vaccination people,” Schmid says. “These workshops laid upward world wellness officials to communicate with a much larger grouping of people – mainly parents who are hesitating well-nigh whether or when to acquire their children vaccinated – to exhibit them how to procedure the myths together with messages of fear.”
“Most hesitant parents do non oppose the scientific evidence, but the appeals together with messages of vaccine deniers brand them experience afraid together with uncertain,” says Schmid. “Public wellness authorities necessitate to continuously construct confidence together with educate the public, hence that people are improve prepared to brand vaccination decisions when they are faced with them”.

Tatum Anderson for the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. This give-and-take is non limited to vaccinations. In an historic catamenia of 'fake news' many areas of monastic tell volition induce got to engage differently with citizens to challenge myths, sideline radical opponents together with remind people of facts together with science.

Fragility, Aid, together with State-building

Aid to frail states is a major topic for international development. This article explores how unpacking fragility together with studying its dimensions together with forms tin assist to develop policy-relevant understandings of how states move to a greater extent than resilient together with the role of assist therein. It highlights the particular challenges for donors inward dealing with chronically frail states together with those with weak legitimacy, every bit good every bit how unpacking fragility tin render traction on how to pick out ‘local context’ into account. It draws inward particular on the contributions to this special number to render examples from novel analysis of particular frail province transitions together with cross-national perspectives.

Rachel Gisselquist's edited opened upward access bulk on province fragility.

Social Media inward Emergent Brazil

Based on fifteen months of ethnographic research, this bulk aims to sympathise why low-income Brazilians induce got invested hence much of their fourth dimension together with coin inward learning well-nigh social media. Juliano Spyer explores this enquiry from a number of perspectives, including education, relationships, piece of work together with politics. He argues that the utilisation of social media reflects contradictory values. Low-income Brazilians comprehend social media to display literacy together with upward mobility, but the same applied scientific discipline also strengthens traditional networks of back upward that conflict with individualism.

Juliano Spyer with a novel opened upward access bulk from the UCL serial on global insights into social media utilisation together with the Why We Post project.

Digitalisation together with flight: how tin donors leverage digital technologies to back upward refugees?

Donors must avoid the job of “technology looking for a job to solve”; knowing how refugee communities already utilisation digital tools is the best agency to avoid this. Generally, refugees themselves volition induce got works life innovative ways to consider their information needs, together with donors tin render fiscal together with technical assistance to back upward access to the existing technologies

Charles Martin-Shields for the German Development Institute with a curt reminder of how donors tin avoid some of the common ICT4D pitfalls.

Academia
THE COMMONS, DIAMOND OPEN ACCESS together with SCHOLARLY COMMUNICATIONS – An Interview with Christian Fuchs

The digital economic scheme is non weightless. In monastic tell to organise something opened upward access, you lot even hence necessitate stuff resources, peculiarly working fourth dimension for organisation, copyediting, proofreading, design, technical work, management, etc. Open access bulk publishing is to a greater extent than resource-intensive than opened upward access periodical publishing. Proofreading together with copyediting books is real work-intensive. Leaving this piece of work to the authors would final result inward many ugly books total of mistakes. Doing proofreading together with copyediting unpaid out of political idealism is also non a viable solution. So 1 needs professional person noesis workers involved inward opened upward access. Using bulk processing charges inward monastic tell to fund that noesis piece of work summation profits tends to create high charges that are unaffordable for all but the richest universities together with luckiest researchers who induce got access to large grants together with private or semi-private opened upward access funds. The outcome of such models are novel inequalities. And politically this brings you lot dorsum to the questions: What academy do nosotros want? What academic scheme do nosotros want? What should the role of academia live on inward society? Public back upward together with funding is necessary for sustainable together with fair opened upward access.

Andrew Lockett talks to Christian Fuchs for Open Access Week.