Links & Contents Ane Liked 223

Hi all,

After a calendar week spent to a greater extent than ofttimes than non working from home, focusing on 2 enquiry papers, I am happy to focus on 'lighter' writing inward a way alongside the latest link review!

Development news: Humanitarian access inward South Sudan in addition to Turkey/Syria; 360 grade immersion inward Sudan; Sierra Leone’s unfair revenue enhancement system; The struggles of Kenya’s middle-class; Garment production inward capitalistic Myanmar; social relationships in addition to evidence; responding to unsolicited feedback; #mediadev in addition to accountability; Can Chicago acquire from Bogota? Reflections on traveling, volunteering in addition to photographing abroad.

Our digital lives: Lovewashing is the novel greenwashing; avoiding #allmalepanel (except when American political consultants meet); the happiness manufacture is a burden.

Publications: Improving assist HR; studying the datafied society; the Internet every bit history; large information in addition to sexual surveillance.

Academia: What do Economists genuinely know? (It’s a long-read, non a rant!); women in addition to scientific authorship; higher instruction inward Zimbabwe; Mexico’s development(s) through the lens of David Harvey.

Enjoy!
 
New from aidnography
How non to nowadays survey data- 2017 United Nations Global Staff Survey edition

As a social scientific discipline researcher I tin forcefulness out confirm that this is a real distressing illustration study of “how non to nowadays survey results” in addition to clearly non worthy of the United Nations system, its staff in addition to the of import issues that are raised inward the report. Some of my concerns are only near the pitiable presentation of findings (in the sense that most advanced undergrad students of pretty much whatsoever land of study should know better), but at that topographic point are to a greater extent than concerning issues alongside the results that border on unethical (social) scientific discipline enquiry practices.

By the way: I'm working on the first edition of my newsletter-so ready certainly you lot are subscribed every bit a pioneer reader ;)!

Development news

Critical sociology IMO should do precisely this.

(This is a mural for Mark Fisher at Goldsmiths.) pic.twitter.com/KsKA3yAvKZ

— Tom Mills (@ta_mills) February 12, 2017

Arts are an essential constituent of a holistic education, non just for a talented few

What nosotros demand to operate to a greater extent than on is thinking of arts inward schoolhouse every bit non just imparting skills in addition to cultivating talent, rather, every bit giving every educatee inward every schoolhouse a way of engaging alongside noesis through the aesthetic in addition to creative potential inherent inward each 1 of us. This is why it is critical that nosotros invest seriously inward the arts throughout the schoolhouse curricula, agreement that the arts are non just for a talented few, but an essential constituent of a holistic education.

Nduku Muema for Standard Digital in addition to Daisy Okoti for Daily Nation. These are non precisely 'big news' stories in addition to yet the 2 articles from Republic of Kenya caught my attention. They are small, but of import reminders that every bit 'Africa' is changing rapidly, our notions of what 'development cooperation' way volition have got to alter rapidly every bit well. Protecting middle-class consumers from fraudulent or misleading investments in addition to talking near arts instruction may have got seem similar 'luxury problems' a few years ago, but they plainly impact people's lives, well-being, fulfillment etc. Important nutrient for thought of how 'we' tin forcefulness out maintain upwards alongside these novel challenges for cooperation, learning in addition to empowerment.

H&M render mill inward Myanmar damaged inward vehement labour protest

Myanmar’s fast-growing textile industry, which employs to a greater extent than than 300,000 workers, has go attractive to global wearing apparel brands such every bit H&M in addition to United States of America retailer Gap Inc next the easing of economical sanctions yesteryear the United States of America in addition to the EU.
A minimum monthly wage of roughly $63, based on a six-day operate week, gives Myanmar a competitive payoff over neighboring garment producing hubs such every bit Vietnam in addition to Cambodia, where the monthly minimum wage ranges from $90 to $145, according to the International Labour Organisation.
But labour activists in addition to manufacture analysts say Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, inward role for almost a year, has to do to a greater extent than to ensure security for workers every bit good every bit investment stability for employers inward a province where strikes in addition to protests are non uncommon.

The Guardian with a reminder of how apace capitalism arrived inward Myanmar in addition to how the flush of exploitation continues to go along the value chains of garment production inward Asia.

It’s non what you lot know but who: How social relationships shape enquiry impact

An agreement of noesis systems every bit fundamentally social has profound implications for the electrical flow predominance of technical approaches to evidence-informed development. Unless nosotros tin forcefulness out live to a greater extent than cognisant of these social realities when designing in addition to implementing programmes nosotros volition never escape the full general feeling of frustration shared yesteryear donors, researchers in addition to practitioners that turning evidence into activity is hence hard.

James Georgalakis from IDS for From Poverty to Power. Research impact-it's complicated...if nosotros focus to much on technical aspects of evidence in addition to hope that it informs policy-making nosotros are leaving out social aspects of noesis sharing. But if nosotros focus besides much on those social aspects nosotros may adventure that they are hijacked yesteryear 'fake news' or other technological aspects that diminish facts in addition to data...

“We’ve Opened Pandora’s Box!” Responding to Unsolicited Feedback

“Big picture” feedback, every bit it is sometimes called, may appear irrelevant in addition to indiscriminate, but when aggregated in addition to analyzed over time, tin forcefulness out provide insights in addition to explanations for strategic issues, contextual appropriateness, or fifty-fifty intended in addition to unintended impacts of programming. While ofttimes overshadowed yesteryear programmatic issues, this information offers clues that when assembled tin forcefulness out create a broader painting of the context inward which the agency is working.
For staff on the frontline alongside communities, responding to in addition to utilizing unsolicited feedback tin forcefulness out live seen every bit arduous, in addition to inward some cases, unmanageable. Sentiments of disenfranchisement tin forcefulness out also inhibit staff from trying to operate alongside in addition to utilize this type of data. Without processes to capture, analyze, in addition to address unsolicited feedback, staff tin forcefulness out experience that the entirely recourse is to either knowingly provide an unsatisfactory response, or avoid responding completely. During a recent land visit, I watched staffs’ aversion to delivering ‘bad news’ to community members stifle acknowledgement in addition to reply practices. In the absence of a feedback scheme designed to capture in addition to utilize unsolicited feedback, staff felt overwhelmed in addition to unable to care much of the feedback they received from communities.

Sarah Cechvala for CDA Perspectives on some other social aspect of information inward the shape of unsolicited feedback...if it can't live measured within existing paradigms than it can't live addressed...

Governance in addition to accountability: What role for media?

Politics is made of people. We demand to live able to inquiry our leaders hence that nosotros tin forcefulness out concord them to account. How tin forcefulness out media play a role inward helping people improve governance in addition to accountability?

BBC Media Action alongside a Storify of their recent lawsuit featuring a recording of the panel discussion, tweets in addition to additional resources!

Instead of Walling Off Englewood, Why Not Copy Bogotá?

Perhaps what’s most impressive near Bogotá in addition to its reduction inward homicide is non whatsoever 1 program, but the particular breadth of them in addition to the city’s relatively successful commitment to their long-term impact.
The appeal of cordoning off entire neighborhoods alongside the National Guard is that of a silvery bullet, in addition to it’s possible that it could operate inward the curt term—but leaves a fearsome inquiry of what would tumble out later they leave. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 long-term approach is, well, longer, but provides a lasting foundation.

Whet Moser for ChicagoMag. An interesting flush near the ever-more hard distinctions of what 'developing countries' facial expression similar in addition to what nosotros consider every bit global 'North' in addition to 'South' in addition to pump or periphery. The United States of America tin forcefulness out acquire from Colombia!

Not Everyone Is #Blessed to Travel Abroad

My eight-month trip was paid for yesteryear 2 years of disposable income saved from my part-time campus job. Halfway through, I managed to squander all my ain money, but I was lucky; my parents swooped inward to finance the repose of my journeying of self-discovery. Because of them, I was able to go on living my life-transforming, resume-padding life abroad “saving” begging talibé boys inward Senegal in addition to teaching English linguistic communication to kids inward slums inward India. Thanks mom in addition to dad!
In whatsoever case, our carefully curated Instagram grids, total of lush Airbnb homes in addition to landscapes alongside the ever-trendy “fade” filter applied, seldom advert how much the bird ticket to Byron Bay cost or who’s financing our Alternative Break to Myanmar (yes, my parents paid for that too). Instead, nosotros utilisation hashtags similar #blessed, #wanderlust, in addition to #35mmfilm in addition to telephone telephone it a day.
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My experience abroad was vastly dissimilar from that of my parents’. My parents came to Canada alongside nil but the clothes they wore on their backs; when I traveled, non entirely did I acquit a fancy Osprey backpack in addition to a snazzy Nikon camera, but also access to Canadian embassies, every bit good every bit the comfort of knowing that when I was bored alongside “finding myself,” I could ever come upwards home.
My father, on the other hand, relinquished his Vietnamese citizenship when he traveled to Canada. He believed inward his pump that leaving meant maxim goodbye to abode forever.

Kim Truong for The Development Set alongside a cracking reflective slice on the complexities of traveling abroad every bit a kid of refugee parents. But I even hence have got some questions, outlined on my recent longer essay From impact to transformation: Do-Gooders, Multicolored Saviors in addition to evolution every bit lifestyle of how a dissimilar background tin forcefulness out ensure meaningful transformation in addition to alter when traveling our volunteering.

Becky Warnock: The Influence of Colonization on Images of Africa

When I facial expression at them similar a shot I persuasion them inward a dissimilar light. You tin forcefulness out view the influence of the NGO imagery that I had seen at home. I did things similar accept photographs of children, images of things that seemed exotic, in addition to images of poverty. My images at the fourth dimension seem to focus on visible signs of depravation such every bit worn clothing, muddied environments, or rural tasks that could appear ‘backward’ from modern technology.
I don’t believe that I was consciously ignoring other images that I saw. But my gaze was seeking out these representations every bit a way of authenticating my experiences. Similar to the recent contestation that Steve McCurry had photoshopped his images to take light posts in addition to route signs inward his images of Republic of Cuba in addition to rural Bharat – I was interested inward the thought that I had chosen to focus my image making on the aesthetics of poverty.
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Whilst I cannot command the socio-political historical factors that I acquit every bit a western, white, woman individual photographer, every bit the author in addition to visual civilization critic Ariella Azoulay says, I tin forcefulness out assert my “right non to live a perpetrator”. I remember I volition ready images 1 time again the side yesteryear side fourth dimension I travel, but peradventure inward a dissimilar way. I remember I volition live to a greater extent than witting of this inward planning for my projects- trying to regain ways of embedding my participatory practise non just inward the way I ready images, but also inward how they are used in addition to inward deciding what they are made for.

Crystaline Randazzo interviews Becky Warnock for NGO Storytelling near her artistic project, her photographic journeying inward Africa in addition to the ethics of taking pictures to tell a flush near 'Africa'.

Our digital lives
Lovewashing is the novel greenwashing in addition to it has to stop.

The fashion world has wholeheartedly jumped aboard the honey in addition to rainbows train, tapping into the Trump-era anger boiling inward our bellies. And every bit a consumer, nosotros powerfulness live fooled into thinking the manufacture is becoming to a greater extent than progressive, shaking its skinny fist at The Man.
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You don't demand to lovewash something that was genuinely made alongside love. We are proud of what nosotros do, of the women who design, create in addition to arts and crafts the vesture nosotros sell. Our operate offers a transformative model for women's development. We trust that people tin forcefulness out view the difference.
The fashion manufacture needs to have got the guts to facial expression inward the mirror, non just to critique the popularly unpopular exterior world. We volition live the commencement ones to applaud the manufacture for standing upwards for the vulnerable in addition to disenfranchised, if in addition to when they genuinely do.

Fi for The Fabric Social on how the fashion manufacture (and other parts of consumer capitalism) are increasingly using 'love' to pretend that they are empowering women in addition to vulnerable communities.

Yes, you lot tin forcefulness out do media conferences without all-male panels

It’s non near the topic of the lawsuit or panel either. At our lastly conference inward February, nosotros organised a panel near automation inward the newsroom alongside to a greater extent than women than men on stage. We had a workshop on digital security for journalists led yesteryear a woman. You tin forcefulness out view the agenda for that lawsuit here.
Those fields may live predominantly male, but it wasn’t hard to regain women to invite to part their expertise.
The full general dominion is that if you lot can’t remember of whatsoever women to inquire to speak at your lawsuit on a particular topic off the top of your head, you lot demand to widen your search.

Catalina Albeanu for journalism.co.uk alongside some practical insights on how to accomplish a improve gender residuum at journalistic conferences in addition to events.

Amy Pritchard Asks Again: Where Are the Women, AAPC?

When I commencement looked at the listing of presenters, it was 85% white in addition to 77% male.
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Once 1 time again I needed to flag what was happening, to select attending to the fact that when women in addition to people of color are non included, nosotros notice.

Amy Pritchard for Gender Avenger shares her frustrations alongside American Association of Political Consultants' annual conference.

“Positive thinking” has turned happiness into a duty in addition to a burden, says a Danish psychologist

Mandatory happiness isn’t only a concern inward the workplace. While it makes sense to give a ritualistic “good, thanks” when someone asks how you lot are inward passing, there’s a adventure that our positive populace faces are increasingly dominating social spheres. After all, piece a witty, vivacious atmosphere tin forcefulness out live enjoyable, polite positivity shouldn’t prohibit give-and-take of traumas in addition to crises alongside unopen friends.
Tied upwards inward the describe per unit of measurement area to live happy is, of course, the self-help craze. Self-help books that purport to learn people how to regain happiness could encourage a harmful perspective on emotions, says Brinkmann. The underlying thought that anyone tin forcefulness out ready herself experience happy implies that unhappy people are to blame for their ain misfortune.

Olivia Goldhill for Quartz alongside a reminder near the happiness manufacture in addition to its powerfulness to individualize collective challenges.

Hot off the digital press
Improving human resources management inward evolution agencies

This study focuses on human resources management (HRM) – the management of people working inward these agencies. It argues for the modernisation of a gain of HRM policies to ensure the organisational resiliency needed to grapple alongside emergent challenges.

Barbara Nunberg for ODI alongside a cracking overview over electrical flow HR challenges inward the assist industry!

The Datafied Society. Studying Culture through Data

This mass critically reflects on the role of information inward academia in addition to lodge in addition to challenges overly optimistic expectations considering information practices every bit way for agreement social reality. It introduces its readers to the practices in addition to methods for information analysis in addition to visualization in addition to raises questions non entirely near the politics of information tools, but also near the ethics inward collecting, sifting through data, in addition to presenting information research. AUP S17 Catalogue text As machine-readable information comes to play an increasingly of import role inward everyday life, researchers regain themselves alongside rich resources for studying society. The novel methods in addition to tools needed to operate alongside such information require non entirely novel noesis in addition to skills, but also a novel way of thinking near best enquiry practices.

Mirko Tobias Schäfer in addition to Karin van Es alongside a novel open-access mass published yesteryear Amsterdam University Press.

The Web every bit History

This mass argues that similar a shot is the fourth dimension to inquire what nosotros have got learnt from the Web hence far. The 12 chapters explore this topic from a number of interdisciplinary angles – through histories of national spider web spaces in addition to illustration studies of dissimilar regime in addition to media domains – every bit good every bit an introduction that provides an overview of this exciting novel surface area of research.

Niels Brügger in addition to Ralph Schroeder alongside an opened upwards access edited mass from UCL Press

Big information in addition to sexual surveillance

This newspaper highlights the gendered in addition to racialised effects of information practices; outlines the overlapping nature of state, commercial in addition to peer surveillance; in addition to maps the challenges in addition to opportunities women in addition to queers encounter on the nexus betwixt data, surveillance, gender in addition to sexuality.
Vulnerable communities every bit good every bit sexual rights activists are at heightened adventure of data-driven modes of surveillance. In add-on to exposing in addition to addressing algorithmic discriminations, feminist information practices oppose the non-consensual collection of data, amplify participatory information projects that empower women in addition to sexual minorities, in addition to protect the data, privacy in addition to anonymity of activists in addition to the communities they operate with.

Nicole Shephard for the Association for Progressive Communications alongside some other interesting paper.

Academia
What Do Economists Actually Know?

But at that topographic point is no way of knowing reliably if the consensus reflects the truth. It may rely instead on the underlying biases of the prosecutors in addition to defendants inward the intellectual trial of ideas. Or where they received their PhD degrees. Or the fashionability of certainly positions over fourth dimension every bit lodge changes. Unlike production markets where poorly made products are punished yesteryear depression prices or fewer in addition to fewer consumers, at that topographic point are no clear feedback loops inward the world of academic economics. You tin forcefulness out say something that is incorrect in addition to the toll you lot pay may live zero. In fact you lot may live rewarded.
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What I am arguing hither is that the combination of economic science alongside statistics inward a complex world promises a lot to a greater extent than than it delivers. We economists should live to a greater extent than humble in addition to honest near the reliability in addition to precision of statistical analysis.

Russ Roberts alongside a detailed long-read beyond uncomplicated expert-bashing or reclaiming the profession. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 lot of it is applicable to many other disciplines every bit well...

Women immature lady out on authorship opportunities early on

Previous studies offering a number of farther possible explanations: Women fearfulness backlash when they speak upwards for themselves, they have lower character mentoring, or advisers overvalue operate done yesteryear men. Or peradventure manlike individual students are to a greater extent than probable than their woman individual counterparts to do the sort of operate that is most probable to Pb to authorship. Investigating what the students are doing inward the lab in addition to the underlying connections betwixt lab work, gender, in addition to authorship are of import side yesteryear side steps, says Jane Stout, manager of the Center for Evaluating the Research Pipeline at the Computing Research Association inward Washington, D.C.
Regardless of the reasons for the disparity, the information propose that the disconnect betwixt representation of women at the graduate flat in addition to the faculty flat may live starting inward the lab,

Maggie Kuo for Science alongside an of import review article on gender issues inward scientific discipline publication production in addition to beyond.

Higher instruction inward a failed economic scheme – Students at risk

The economical crisis inward Republic of Zimbabwe has pose women students inward a especially vulnerable position, according to Netsai Marova, a final-year educatee at the Chinhoyi University of Technology.
“Female students from pitiable backgrounds cease upwards engaging inward prostitution inward a bid to secure coin to pay fees,” she said.
“Many woman individual students are beingness forced to regain men to remain alongside inward a bid to avoid accommodation costs. Such men unremarkably accept sexual payoff of students because of the students' desperation.”
ZINASU claims that small-scale gilt miners are taking payoff of financially vulnerable woman individual students inward little mining towns where satellite campuses for Great Republic of Zimbabwe University in addition to Midlands State University were lately laid up.

Zachariah Mushawatu for University World News alongside a real disturbing line of piece of work organization human relationship from within Zimbabwe's failing province in addition to higher instruction system.

Endless dispossession: looking at United Mexican States through David Harvey’s gaze

Seeing United Mexican States through David Harvey’s eyes, nosotros tin forcefulness out conclude that the making of a to a greater extent than just, fair in addition to equal lodge cannot live reduced to whatsoever dogma. In the liminal spaces of dispossession, creative ways of living within in addition to exterior capitalism tin forcefulness out live seen. In Mexico, those opposing dispossession are finding ways to construct larger movements together. Through this organisation, several initiatives have got been created. For example, the Campaign for the Defence of Mother footing in addition to the Territory, is attempting to shed lite to the struggles of many Mexican organisations in addition to towns, which oppose the commodification of the world in addition to natural resources. By questioning in addition to resisting 1 of the basic dynamics of capitalism, the appropriation of resources (Moore, 2015), these movements signal to a dissimilar way of beingness inward the world, based non on decease in addition to dispossession, but on life in addition to the collective production of a fairer society.

J. Alejandro De Coss-Corzo for Alternautas. Not an slow read, but fourth dimension good spent for interesting connections betwixt academic theory in addition to development(s) inward Mexico.