Reading Development

Random readings on society, politics and change – Jorge Carrillo

Towards a regional democracy? – An interview with Edward Soja

Edward Soja passed away recently. In this 2011 interview, he defends the idea that we need to change the way we think about the social and political organization of urbanized territories … Continue reading →

Thursday, 5 November 2015 · Leave a comment

“We have to call off this capitalist urbanization dynamic” – An Interview with David Harvey

What we’ve got right now are some of these totally absurd forms of urbanization, for example in states like Dubai…the only thing that has kept global capitalism alive over the … Continue reading →

Wednesday, 4 November 2015 · Leave a comment

The Decade of Adjustment: A Review of Austerity Trends 2010-2020 in 187 Countries

This paper: (i) examines the latest IMF government spending projections for 187 countries between 2005 and 2020; (ii) reviews 616 IMF country reports in 183 countries to identify the main … Continue reading →

Tuesday, 3 November 2015 · Leave a comment

Policy brief – The Forthcoming Adjustment Shock

According to IMF projections, 2016 marks the beginning of a second, major period of expenditure contraction globally. This ILO paper questions if the projected fiscal contraction trajectory—in terms of timing, … Continue reading →

Tuesday, 3 November 2015 · Leave a comment

Leave no one behind: the real bottom billion

As the Millennium Development Goals draw to a close, and their replacement, the Sustainable Development Goals, are agreed by UN governments, close to a billion people remain in extreme poverty, … Continue reading →

Sunday, 1 November 2015 · Leave a comment

Transforming cities for sustainability: facts and figures

Architects, engineers, urban planners, civil society and policy makers face the challenges of creating sustainable, healthy, ‘smart’, ‘green’, adaptive, inclusive, productive, safe, flexible and resilient cities. These are just a … Continue reading →

Friday, 30 October 2015 · Leave a comment

Without Architects, Smart Cities Just Aren’t Smart

Arguably the biggest buzzword in urbanism right now is the ‘Smart City’. The idea, although certainly inclusive of eco-friendly practices, has even replaced “sustainability” as the major intent of cities … Continue reading →

Thursday, 29 October 2015 · Leave a comment

Union power and inequality

Inequality in advanced economies has risen considerably since the 1980s, largely driven by the increase of top earners’ income shares. This column revisits the drivers of inequality, emphasising the role … Continue reading →

Monday, 26 October 2015 · Leave a comment

Cities, Violence and Order

A series of blogs that explores what the challenges of security provision in cities might look like in 2040; and how development policy and practice might preemptively respond to these challenges … Continue reading →

Sunday, 25 October 2015 · Leave a comment