The Drum Beat 484 - Blogging on Development Policy
This issue of The Drum Beat alerts you to new and recently posted blogs addressing: the direction the current development and democracy debate is taking; the lens through which we view development; long-term sustainable change; working within disaster-affected communities; the "fairness doctrine"; and divorcing international development from business values and practices. Please read the full blogs and add your comments to them. And let us know if you want to become a CI blogger!
The Drum Beat 484 contains:
- An invitation to BECOME A CI BLOGGER.
- New blog on the DIRECTION OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND DEMOCRACY DEBATE.
- New blog on CHALLENGING PRE-CONCEPTIONS OF "OTHER".
- New POLL on the possibilities for connections between journalists and their readers.
- Recent blogs added to the DEVELOPMENT POLICY SITE.
- An invitation to INTERACT WITH CI BLOGGERS.
- New blog on BUSINESS VALUES AND PRACTICES OF DEVELOPMENT.
Become a CI BLOGGER!
Do you have experience in development policy issues and challenges? Do you have ideas you want to float past a large group of your peers? Become a CI Blogger.
See the Guidelines for Bloggers on the Communication, Media, and Development Policy website.
NEW BLOG: DIRECTION OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND DEMOCRACY DEBATE
PLEASE READ AND COMMENT ON THE BLOG EXCERPTED BELOW (full text click here)
by James Deane
"Yesterday saw the London launch of the report of the 'TransAtlantic Taskforce on Development'.
Not at first sight the most enthralling topic. Its sunny title 'Toward a Brighter Future', might lead the reader to expect just one more development report entreating the international community to commit more money in pursuit of world peace and prosperity. The fact that it is the product of a group made up exclusively of development experts in the North (specifically Europe and North America) with virtually no participation from developing countries, might reinforce a cautious approach.
There is in reality much to recommend it. Its purpose is to create some sense and coherence between European and North American development assistance efforts. Given the recent faultlines between the US and Europe on everything from democracy promotion to aid harmonisation to approaches to climate change and food security, the report could hardly be more timely or useful..."
COMMENT ON THIS BLOG:
Read the Blog and post a comment or question: click here.
Read comments: click here.
NEW BLOG: CHALLENGING PRE-CONCEPTIONS OF "OTHER"
PLEASE READ AND COMMENT ON THE BLOG EXCERPTED BELOW (full text click here)
2. The commonalities lens sees AIDS better
by Jon Tinker
"Lenses are important. How we see the world determines how we feel about it - and how we act to change it. I first proposed the "commonalities lens" in Drum Beat in July 2007. 'The North-South lens is blurred, cracked, and warped. At 50 years old, it's long past its sell-by date', I wrote.
The venerable North-South paradigm arose in the early 1950s. Does it still mean anything useful? Its unstated assumptions are that the North is industrialised and the South is developing, that the North is rich and the South is poor, that the North is skilled and the South is not.
Today, all three assumptions contain more exceptions than an insurance policy. Once, North and South were more-or-less distinct and homogenous groups. Now, these terms have little more than an historical validity – although they are unlikely to disappear any time soon.
The North-South lens can cause partial blindness, hindering us from seeing the world as it really is. In the North, it reinforces the stereotype that the South is a different planet, where people are accustomed to poverty and disease, and incapable of organising themselves.
The North-South lens starts from fundamental differences between countries and cultures. The commonalities lens homes in on what we have in common. The North-South lens emphasises what divides us, feeding alienation and patronage. The commonalities lens helps us realise what we share, reinforcing solidarity and mutual learning..."
COMMENT ON THIS BLOG:
Read the Blog and post a comment or question: click here.
Read comments: click here.
Please VOTE in our NEW Media Development POLL:
What are the best possibilities for journalist-readership connections? (you may choose more than one; please add clarifying comments)
Connection:
- Readers should hold journalists to a high standard of transparency.
- Journalists should ascertain topical concerns of readers.
- Journalists should build support for public risk-taking in the name of media freedom.
- Readers should hold editors, managers, and media owners accountable for journalistic freedom.
VOTE and COMMENT: click here.
RECENT BLOGS added to the Development Policy website
3. The Athenian Way!...or should that be "Why?"
by Warren Feek
"A combination of 5,000 years of history, great political thought, riots in the streets and tobacco smoke in bars, restaurants, homes, and just about every other place can either sharpen or deaden the development mind. Welcome to Athens, last week [written December 18 2008]. We were warned not to leave the hotel, but of course we all did. And the Greek salad of history, thought, riots, and tobacco smoke proved tasty for the development palate. 5,000 years of history should teach us that we need long-term time horizons for the kind of substantive development changes we are seeking..."
Read More OR Post a Comment or Question: click here.
by James Deane
"One of the pleasures of coming from and living in the UK is how many people say nice things about our media. They say terrible things too, but especially if you work for an organisation which carries the BBC brand, by and large you get a feeling that public interest media is one thing the country does well. It is often held up by others as a good model to follow..."
Read More OR Post a Comment or Question: click here.
5. Media and democracy in fragile states: the promises and problems of policy relevant research
by James Deane
"Earlier this month, we worked with the Institute of Development Studies in the UK to organize a research symposium on media and democracy in fragile states. The idea was to bring a small group of serious development thinkers and thinktanks from different disciplines together with some renowned media researchers - and practitioners like ourselves. Our aim was to discuss what a more serious and robust research agenda on media and democracy might look like. The focus was especially on developing countries where democracy and governance is fragile..."
Read More OR Post a Comment or Question: click here.
INTERACT WITH CI BLOGGERS
Have you read a blog through The Drum Beat that you agreed or disagreed with? Let the blogger know! Go to the Development Policy website - - and click on "Post a Comment or Question" below any of the blogs.
NEW BLOG: BUSINESS VALUES AND PRACTICES OF DEVELOPMENT PLEASE READ AND COMMENT ON THE BLOG EXCERPTED BELOW (full text click here)
6. Development Street - no Wall?
by Warren Feek
"As the great financial crash of 2009 slides forward most of the attention in the international development community has been transfixed on the funding implications. With OECD governments budgeting massive deficits and foundations seeing their capitalisation wither, where will that leave overall funding levels? More specifically, how will that affect the financial base of each of our development initiatives (un crie de coeur!)?
These are vitally important questions. But should we not also be looking at the strategic lessons and implications for international development from the financial depression enveloping all of us?
When I worked at UNICEF in New York we lived in an area that had a lot of up and coming merchant bankers and other financial and business types - young people on their way up corporate ladders. They also had young families - as did we - which is of course how we came to mix. And when the discussion got around to work, one thing was very clear - I did not have a real job. The second thing that was clear was that the real center of development, with the best and brightest driving economic standards ever higher, was finance and business. And the triumvirate of clarity concluded with clear indications that if international development adopted the strategies, practices, and values (e.g., competition) of business then we (the development types) would be much more effective and the world would be a much better place. None of this was explicitly stated, of course, but the body language, conversation flow, and types of questions all had clear meaning. (As did the quality of wine each of us brought to parties!..."
COMMENT ON THIS BLOG:
Read the Blog and post a comment or question: click here.
Read comments: click here.
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