Reading Development

Random readings on society, politics and change – Jorge Carrillo

Moving Beyond GDP: New Regional Social Progress Index

The draft version of the regional Social Progress Index, released today for public comment, aims to measure the social progress for 272 European regions as a complement to traditional measures of … Continue reading

Thursday, 18 February 2016 · Leave a comment

Professionalization of the public participation field

Starting with a discussion on the multiple and diverse understandings of public participation, this booklet builds a portrait of relevant actors of public participation (Part 1). It discusses challenges and … Continue reading

Wednesday, 13 January 2016 · Leave a comment

Digital Rights and Freedoms

The rapidity of technological change has vastly outpaced the development of our laws, institutions and regulatory systems, along with the articulation of the ethical categories and principles with which to … Continue reading

Tuesday, 31 March 2015 · Leave a comment

Inequality and the Crisis of Capitalism and Democracy – Jon Kofkas

The great challenge of our time is not a clash of civilizations…[nor] the revival of the Cold War in the form of a renewed US-Russia confrontation or in the forms … Continue reading

Friday, 20 March 2015 · Leave a comment

Local democracy as a substitute for data (and rather a good substitute too)

David Satterthwaite – Demand for data generally comes from those who control funds and other resources. National governments and international agencies. Not those who need funds (or schools or potable … Continue reading

Friday, 16 January 2015 · Leave a comment

Authoritarianism, democracy and development

Tim Kelsall – This paper reviews the evidence on authoritarianism and development from the perspective of a policy-maker providing advice to an ostensibly developmental authoritarian regime. It finds that the cross-national … Continue reading

Monday, 22 December 2014 · Leave a comment

The decline of Lao civil society

It is paradoxical that while most interpretations of civil society include autonomy from the state as a central characteristic, the groups most widely recognised as civil society are those legally … Continue reading

Monday, 11 August 2014 · Leave a comment

The Unfulfilled Promise of Online Deliberation

Hartz-Karp and Sullivan – Since online deliberation has not delivered on the expectations of more considered, democratic participation, the authors propose less focus on technological ‘fixes’ and more on re-conceptualizing … Continue reading

Friday, 11 July 2014 · Leave a comment

How democracy is forcing itself onto the global urban agenda

If the question of identity has emerged so strongly in urban planning this year, it is because it reflects the need for a major overhaul of how the wider public … Continue reading

Saturday, 9 February 2013 · Leave a comment