Tag Archives: development studies

Are development workers foxes or hedgehogs?

Posted in: Career Advice, Education, Study | May 6, 2013 at 12:11 pm , by Rowan Emslie

Are you a fox or a hedgehog? A George Clooney or Sonic? Are development workers better off being one or the other? Rowan Emslie unpacks what it means to be both, and suggests that one is better than the other in the aid and development sector. ...

Do you have the competency to work in aid and development?

Posted in: Reflection, Self-help, Study | September 7, 2012 at 12:18 pm , by Brendan Rigby

3 comments

A Complementary Basic Education class in northern Ghana

Whether you have just graduated or are an experienced aid worker, there is always room to learn and develop new competencies. But, which competencies are the most valued? Which competencies should you focus on for your career and professional development? Brendan Rigby crowdsources the opinion of some very bright and...

Literacy in Development: the flaws with using literacy rates to inform development policy (part 3)

Posted in: Education | April 4, 2012 at 1:00 pm , by Alex Grey

One comment

In her third post on literacy and development, Alex Grey examines some of the issues associated with using literacy rates as a measurement to inform development policy, and shows how problematic approaches to monitoring literacy can lead to problems on the ground....

So, you’re thinking of studying an MA in Development Studies? Think again.

Posted in: Study | November 18, 2011 at 12:35 am , by Brendan Rigby

42 comments

There are any number of academics, professionals and bloggers offering advice on working in aid and development. Brendan is not one. However, in light of some more recent thoughts about motivation, well being and knowledge in aid and development, he has been thinking about the space in-between motivation and jobs:...

Why do you work in aid & development?

Posted in: Reflection | September 13, 2011 at 5:50 pm , by Brendan Rigby

7 comments

Recently, a number of prominent aid & development bloggers and professionals offered insight into why they do what they do. Introspection is trending and they are highly recommended reads. In this post, Brendan opens up the floor and asks, 'What about about you?' Why do you work in aid and...

Investment bankers and human beings: can you spot the difference?

Posted in: Ethics in development | June 2, 2011 at 3:56 pm , by Mario Hasanakos

2 comments

Mario has spent the last three and half years working at an investment bank in Sydney. During that time, he has also studied international development in a Masters program part-time. Straddling the fence hasn’t always been the most comfortable spot from which to learn about these two spheres, but it...

What David Foster Wallace taught me about development

Posted in: Reflection | May 5, 2011 at 11:59 pm , by Weh Yeoh

2 comments

What can a writer of fiction teach us about development? In this post, Weh Yeoh explores one of the central themes of the much admired David Foster Wallace's life, and sees many benefits of adopting a similar perspective as a worker in the field of development....

War of the Words

Posted in: Ethics in development | March 24, 2011 at 7:00 am , by Brendan Rigby

5 comments

In the First World War, and for the first time in the history of man, nations combined to fight against nations using the crude weapons of those days. The Second World War involved every continent on the globe, and men turned to science for new devices of warfare, which reached...

So, you wanna save the world?

Posted in: Self-help | March 11, 2011 at 2:19 am , by Guest Author/s

7 comments

So you wanna save the world? Save yourself first! In this post, Steve Munroe, co-founder of Sartori Worldwide, draws upon his own experience in the aid sector to provide some common-sense tips on how to achieve this....

The Streets: Daniel, Kevin & AusAID

Posted in: Foreign Aid | October 14, 2010 at 12:16 pm , by Brendan Rigby

7 comments

Australia's aid program has been receiving much media and political attention recently, not in the least because Kevin Rudd, Minister for Foreign Affairs, appointed 29-year old Daniel Street as an adviser. What does this mean, if anything, for Australia's aid program in the context of reform, allocation and accountability? Does...

Warning! Take with a grain of realistic salt: working in development

Posted in: Reflection | June 28, 2010 at 2:45 pm , by Alex Jameson

24 comments

Guest contributor, Alex Jameson, is currently working as a Youth Training Coordinator with Street Kids International in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In this article, Alex describes what recent development graduates should expect when entering the field. In dispelling a number of myths, he offers a very blunt, honest and provocative account...

What is development?

Posted in: Reflection | June 3, 2010 at 9:16 am , by Rachel Szekely

2 comments

Rachel Szekely is a Masters students in the international development program at UNSW and a Steering Committee member. In this article, Rachel presents a working definition of 'development', which represents the view of whydev.org. Through this definition, Rachel hopes to stimulate discussion around the concept of development and asks readers...