Reading Development

Random readings on society, politics and change – Jorge Carrillo

Benchmarking future city-regions beyond nation-states

This paper argues that new city-regional configurations are emerging and establishing a regional order beyond nation-states, both as a consequence of certain nationalistic political devolution claims and due to the … Continue reading

Monday, 11 April 2016 · Leave a comment

Time for a new approach to environmental and social protection at multilateral development banks

Current MDB safeguards do not address the core developmental problem facing environmental and social oversight – weak legal frameworks and implementation capacity. Protecting against negative environmental and social impacts from … Continue reading

Saturday, 9 April 2016 · Leave a comment

Transforming Women’s Work

A new report from the AFL-CIO, the Rutgers Center for Women’s Global Leadership and the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center, Transforming Women’s Work: Policies for an Inclusive Economic Agenda, discusses the critical … Continue reading

Saturday, 9 April 2016 · Leave a comment

Using political economy analysis in conflict, security and justice programmes

This guidance note provides a framework for implementers of conflict, security and justice programmes to conduct political economy analysis (PEA) at the design or inception phase to ensure a deep … Continue reading

Tuesday, 5 April 2016 · Leave a comment

The informal as the “city” in urban Africa: Experiences from Kampala

Originally posted on UGEC Viewpoints:
Shuaib Lwasa Makerere University, Uganda Cities in developing countries have grappled with spatial planning, infrastructure, housing and, more recently, fragmented and “runaway” development. Spatial plans…

Tuesday, 5 April 2016 · Leave a comment

Innovating for pro-poor services: why politics matter

Despite innovation efforts and optimism across the development sector, few innovations lead to actual sustainable, systemic change. Too often the barriers are political – factors such as motivation, power and … Continue reading

Monday, 4 April 2016 · Leave a comment

The Politics of Climate Change

Veteran activist Rebecca Solnit, writing on the eve of the latest UN climate change summit, divides “the people in the streets of Paris” from “the people in the conference rooms … Continue reading

Friday, 1 April 2016 · Leave a comment

The Death and Life of Great Italian Cities – A Mobile Phone Data Perspective

The Death and Life of Great American Cities was written in 1961 and is now one of the most influential book in city planning. In it, Jane Jacobs proposed four … Continue reading

Tuesday, 29 March 2016 · Leave a comment

Thinking and Working Politically: From Theory Building to Building an Evidence Base

This paper discusses the steps required to build a robust evidence base for ‘thinking and working politically’ (TWP) in development. It argues that better understanding what works, when and why … Continue reading

Friday, 25 March 2016 · Leave a comment