My colleague Nicholas Bodanac and I have been working on this for about a year now, and we finally have a published version of our paper where we argue that a digital turn in peacekeeping can have positive economic effects in post-conflict settings. It's currently online at International Peacekeeping - anyone who wants the full … Continue reading Peacekeeping’s Digital Economy: New article in International Peacekeeping
Africa
English Version of My Frankfurter Rundschau Editorial
For those who are interested in economic development and migration, but were frustrated that my FR editorial last month was only in German, you can now find the English version on DIE-GDI's blog!
Poverty (and Social Development Writ Large) is Not an Innovation Problem
I came across an article a friend posted on Facebook yesterday about the work that the MasterCard Foundation is doing to reduce poverty in Africa. Since some of my work is in the 'techno-innovation 4 development' sector, I was curious to give it a read. It was everything that makes me *sigh* and/or *shake my … Continue reading Poverty (and Social Development Writ Large) is Not an Innovation Problem
When Radio Goes Bad: RF communications and the increased violence in South Sudan
I was reading an update about the increasing ethnic violence in South Sudan forwarded to me by a colleague, and noted the fact that radio is being used to organize and encourage violence in South Sudan. For those who have studied or read about the genocide in Rwanda, radio was one of the key mediums employed by … Continue reading When Radio Goes Bad: RF communications and the increased violence in South Sudan
China to United States: We’ll see your “investment” and raise you a peacekeeping deployment
How apropos that my last post was focused on why the United States needs to think of investment in Africa in terms larger than ROI, especially if we want to compete with China. Apparently China got the memo, since they're committing to send a multi-dimensional peacekeeping force to support the MINUSMA mission in Mali that … Continue reading China to United States: We’ll see your “investment” and raise you a peacekeeping deployment
My TechChange Swan Song
Cross posted from the TechChange blog This past Thursday and Friday (May 8 & 9) I participated in the ICTs and Violence Prevention workshop hosted by the World Bank’s Social Development Office. We had an excellent collection of experts from across academia, NGOs, and government who discussed the complexities of using technology for violence prevention. One … Continue reading My TechChange Swan Song
MONUSCO Gets an Offensive Boost
The ongoing peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the largest in the world numbering 20,000 operators, is about to get an increase in its total number of soldiers. Two thousand South African, Malawian, and Tanzanian soldiers will be deploying this summer with a mandate to seek out and engage militias operating in the … Continue reading MONUSCO Gets an Offensive Boost
This is not a mHealth Project
I was going through the BBC this morning, and after reading all about the new Pope (who believes that condoms may be morally acceptable but only to stop the spread of disease), I came across this far more interesting article about how public health researchers in Tanzania are retrofitting iPhones to act as field microscopes. So … Continue reading This is not a mHealth Project
“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?
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
