My friend Emily pointed me to a post on Facebook from Nick Kristof about girls seeking education in Pakistan. The article highlights the risks faced by girls and women seeking educational opportunities in the tribal regions; it's well written and inspiring. It's good, mass consumption media about a serious problem. But his framing comment on … Continue reading Kristof’s False Comparison
Politics
“Africa’s Silicon Savannah”…What will Kenya get from Konza?
I was on BBC earlier today and came across this article on Konza Technology City, a tech center that will be built in Kenya outside Nairobi. In a bit of excitement I posted a comment on Facebook that this could be a boon to investment...then I re-read the article. I think that, indeed, it could be … Continue reading “Africa’s Silicon Savannah”…What will Kenya get from Konza?
Bad Economic Analysis
I can't help myself...I saw this on Facebook and had to comment. But instead of bombing my friend's comment section, I decided something that was becoming a 300 word blog post should just be a proper blog post. Read the picture below; I've provided commentary underneath. There are a few problems with the above analysis. … Continue reading Bad Economic Analysis
2013 Update: Kenya, TechChange and TC109
So 2013 is off to a roaring start. I just relocated to a new place in the Petworth neighborhood in D.C. and learned that all the staff I worked with at the U.S. Institute of Peace back in the day all live within 5 blocks of me. But the big things on the horizon are … Continue reading 2013 Update: Kenya, TechChange and TC109
Crowdsourcing 2013’s Content!
So with the new year starting Tuesday, I will be continuing to blog into 2013. The past year has mostly focused on my interest areas, political science, conflict and technology. But I've also mused on things that are not my "core expertise", such as gun control and domestic politics. Since I'll be finishing coursework this … Continue reading Crowdsourcing 2013’s Content!
Merry Christmas!
Facepalmz: Gun control, armed guards in schools, etc. (Part 2)
Basically I'm just going to focus on the political economy, and problems of information asymmetry and game theoretic issues with the assertion that armed guards in schools will lead to no more mass shootings. For those who missed Wayne LaPierre's speech, Jason Linkins at the Huffington Post provides a really good assessment of it. With … Continue reading Facepalmz: Gun control, armed guards in schools, etc. (Part 2)
Facepalmz: More gun control thoughts (Part 1)
My last post got a little snarky toward the end, so I'm going to try to stick to purely behavioral or game theoretic arguments in this installment. I can already tell you I will fail. Without further ado, into the Thunderdome (of game-theoretic gun control arguments). 1 ) If they charge them, they will win … Continue reading Facepalmz: More gun control thoughts (Part 1)
My ordered thoughts on mass shootings and gun control
So I left a note on Facebook this past weekend that got some likes and a 'share' even. Being a Facebook post, it was long on emotion and a little shorter on precision, so I promised a friend a blog post that was a bit more structured with regard to gun control, mass shootings. Here … Continue reading My ordered thoughts on mass shootings and gun control
Goma, M23, and the success of peacekeeping
The timing of reading Virginia Page Fortna’s Does Peacekeeping Work seemed appropriate as the M83 rebels in eastern Congo (DRC) marched in and took Goma, only to recently withdraw under the auspices of the MONUSCO force currently operating in the DRC. During this series of events I saw a tweet from Oxfam’s Policy and Practice … Continue reading Goma, M23, and the success of peacekeeping
Charles P. Martin-Shields 