Columns & Discussion
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The Future is Calling - Lift off
Newspapers are full with columnists, politicians, academics and policy makers and their opinion on the future of development cooperation. But so far a real debate has not yet begun. Hivos and The Broker have joined forces and would like to invite you to share your views on the matter. The Broker explains:
Occupy Wall Street, London, Amsterdam..occupy…occupy.. everywhere!
The 15M demonstrations in Spain formed the kick off of the indignados (outraged) movement which took much of their inspiration from the Arab Spring. Occupy Wall street followed suit and soon occupy camps popped up at central squares all over the world.
Anna Hazare's Anti-corruption struggle
Amidst the European Headlines of the Euro-crisis, Anna Hazare's fight against corruption in Indias seems a rather marginal affair for developments in Europe. Yet, argues Peter Konijn from the 'Knowing Emerging Powers Programme', domestic affairs in emerging powers like India are increasingly global in nature and so we have to get used to considering their international implications.
Civil Society and Political Transformation in Egypt
“Why did diplomats, policymakers, analysts and academics fail to see and understand the growing popular unrest in Tunisia, Egypt and other Arab countries? With this question in mind, Alan Fowler travelled to Cairo, Egypt. In this post, he shares a personal account of emerging insights and tough questions for supporters and researchers of civic action.
A reflection on learning about development
It is increasingly recognized that a reflective attitude among practitioners and researchers in the development sector is valuable and the reasons are manifold. Reflections help discover and make explicit theories, assumptions, values and beliefs that are embedded within individuals and communities through how one is raised and educated and that deeply influence the design of development projects and research (Eyben et al, 2008; Brydon-Miller, 2003). A greater self-awareness and understanding...
Reflections Lost in knowledge – yearning for change
After attending the dialogue hosted by HIVOS on the theme of ‘Knowledge and Change’ I was left impressed and informed by the content, insights and conclusions presented. But the greatest thought-prompting tension that I have taken away with me came more from the theme than the content. Michael Edwards’ opening address focused our attention on the relationship between knowledge and change. Perhaps my train of thought was triggered by the question raised at this early point around the possibili...
Knowledge for a change
You know what? There is a new buzzword in the international aid language. Since aid began half a century ago, with goals of modernisation and growth, key words have come and gone. Remember the ideas of distribution and basic needs in the 1970s, equality and emancipation in the 1980s, joined by gender mainstreaming, poverty reduction, social capital. Not to forget participation, good governance, ownership and aid harmonisation. Each new term comes with the promise of a more sophisticated under...
The social question, who cares?
While the Shining India operation in the preceding years had increased the wellbeing of the already better-off, the United Progressive Alliance committed itself to ensure ‘the welfare and well-being of all workers, particularly those in the unorganised sector, who constitute more than 93% of our workforce'. A National Commission set up in September 2004 reviewed the status of the unorganised/ínformal sector in India. The Commission — chaired by Arjun Sengupta and with only two members (K.P. K...
Bridging the academic-activist gap
Collaboration between academics and activists is essential to the promotion of pluralism in practice. Discussions on religion in the Dutch context center around individual freedom, which we consider to be the result of liberation from religious pressures. Liberal policies on abortion, euthanasia, same-sex marriage and soft drugs have given the Dutch the feeling that they live in the most progressive country in the world whose example will, sooner or later, be followed by others. Even though t...
How facebook can spread the wings of cancer awareness
On Facebook, now acclaimed as one of the most popular social networking sites in the world, the one thing that almost all the users engage is, in updating their status updates. These updates can be varied – capturing personal moods and emotions, reporting on things that strike one in the course of a normal day, offering political opinions, suggesting movies and books to friends, and often making public announcements of important events in life. The updates appear as a live feed, updates in al...