Andrej Verity, who works at UN-OCHA, wrote a thought provoking and enjoyable post earlier this week about alternative crowdfunding and Kickstarter-type mechanisms for distributing aid funding to beneficiaries during disaster response. I posted a few short thoughts in the comments section of the post, but thought it'd be good to expand on them a bit. Hopefully … Continue reading Samoa Update: What “Kickstarting an Emergency” got me thinking
Technology
Tech4Dev Conference: Call for abstracts closes Oct. 14
My colleague Dr. Paula Lytle and I will be hosting one of the sessions at next June's Tech4Dev conference, focusing on the policy side of integrating technology into disaster response and preparedness. The Federal Polytechnic Institute in Lausanne is hosting the event; they do a great job and the city of Lausanne is lovely. If … Continue reading Tech4Dev Conference: Call for abstracts closes Oct. 14
Samoa update: A little informed consent, a lot of economics
I'm embracing my status as a political scientist working in the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MCIT). While a lot of my experience in the tech space tends to be tool-centric, I'm finding more and more that the challenges on the user end (in this case Samoa) are related to policy and economics. The … Continue reading Samoa update: A little informed consent, a lot of economics
The Fulbrighters make the paper in Samoa
We're all pretty excited to be here working with the Samoan government - we made the paper here in Apia, and so far the welcome from our counterparts and Samoan friends has been fantastic! The interviews and photos were from the welcome event the embassy and Charge d'Affaires Peter Ganser organized last week.
Samoa Week One: There’s tech and there’s practicality
I'm wrapping up my first week on the job with the Samoan Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, where I'm working as part of my Fulbright-Clinton Fellowship. I'm working in the Policy Formulation Office of the Ministry, and over the course of the year, I'll be working on ICT for disaster response policy, cyber security, … Continue reading Samoa Week One: There’s tech and there’s practicality
EPFL Tech4Dev Conference call for papers!
My colleague Dr. Paula Lytle from the World Bank and I will be co-hosting a panel at the Polytechnic Institute of Lausanne's Tech4Dev Conference, June 4-6 2014! Our session will cover policy and technology for disaster risk reduction. The conference is a good one, particularly since it covers topics ranging from social policy to hardware … Continue reading EPFL Tech4Dev Conference call for papers!
Arrived in Samoa
I’ve arrived in Samoa to start my Clinton-Fulbright Fellowship, working with the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology on disaster management and response policy. I’ll be blogging on the technical details of what I’m doing starting next week, but just wanted to post a few photos from my journey.
Peacekeeping, economic growth and technology
The economics of peacekeeping are difficult to unpack but there are signs that when a mission has a strategy that includes long-range economic planning, it can have positive long term effects on the host country’s economy. This could help us understand the strategic value of communication technology as not just a tool for good governance … Continue reading Peacekeeping, economic growth and technology
Tech, Development and the Pacific Region: Analysis from Gerard McCarthy
I haven't posted much recently, and probably won't be able to post much for the next week or so (blasted comprehensive exam and Fulbright paperwork), but I started my morning off right when I came across my colleague Gerard McCarthy's new article on how AusAID could benefit from an institutional technology for development strategy. Gerard's article is … Continue reading Tech, Development and the Pacific Region: Analysis from Gerard McCarthy
Fulbright-Clinton Fellowship: Quite the welcome
So this week is the orientation week for 23 of my colleagues and me as we prepare to head off and do our Fulbright-Clinton Fellowships. People will be going all over: Burma, Ethiopia, Haiti, Malawi, Samoa, Cote D'Ivoire and Guatemala. What really struck me was the history and the timelessness of the Fulbright program. Former … Continue reading Fulbright-Clinton Fellowship: Quite the welcome
Charles P. Martin-Shields 