Yesterday’s post may have been a bit of a downer given the critical position on crowdsourcing that I took. While I think a critical eye is necessary to grow the space, I wouldn’t want to leave out what’s being done well. With that in mind I wanted to point folks to Patrick Meier’s recent post on the PeaceTXT project in Kenya. He unpacks the project really well for those who are new to the crowdsourcing and mobile technology space, but also gets into the structural details of why the project has a positive effect in preventing violence. As a political scientist it’s the kind of project I would love to use as a case study, and for the casual reader it’s a fantastic example of how well thought out programming paired with appropriate technology can have a demonstrable impact in the peacebuilding space.
I really appreciate the balance and integration you provide as option to qual and quant duality in the area of peace and conflict resolution.
You’ve done the same with this topic – provided balanced, thoughtful perspectives allowing readers to live the questions, and respond more effectively with the technology available.