Tag Archives: Ethics

Bodanomics: The ethics of expat negotiation

Posted in: General, Reflection | April 10, 2013 at 9:00 am , by Mike Miesen

There is often a substantial disparity in lifestyles of expats and those from a country. Yet expats still make use of local services, often at a local price. Mike Miesen discusses the ethics of negotiating a 'local' price and why he’s come to terms with paying just a little bit...

Good intentions are enough – to ‘nearly kill’ a local kid

Posted in: Aid Effectiveness, Ethics in development | March 25, 2013 at 9:00 am , by Guest Author/s

3 comments

Who has the right to make decisions about a child's health? An anonymous contributor describes how a situation where an NGO took responsibility for the care of an 11-year-old boy was nearly disastrous for the child, and how it raised all kinds of ethical questions about a child's care....

Why tourists should be buying from children on the streets

Posted in: Ethical Tourism, Ethics in development, Poverty | October 18, 2012 at 5:00 am , by Alison Rabe

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Cambodian children meeting tourists. (Gloria Cheng.)

In a touristy area of a poor country, a child comes up to and asks you to buy something. How do you respond? Do you turn them away and ignore them, or do you acquiesce? In her first post for WhyDev, Alison Rabe explores this complex issue through the eyes...

Moving from stew to stewardship: eating sustainably in 2012

Posted in: Agriculture, Environment, Ethics in development, Reflection | October 4, 2012 at 8:00 am , by Allison Smith

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My brothers and I were forbidden from telling our younger sister that this guy would end up on our plates. (Jane Smith)

Food. It used to be so simple. Now we’re burning corn for fuel, making meat in tubes, subsidizing cattle for more than many people’s incomes, refusing food not grown locally, and swearing off meat altogether. Allison Smith reflects on her relationship with food and what it says about the intersection...

The paradigm shift that needs to be made for sustainable development – who needs to make it?

Posted in: Alternatives in development, Environment, Ethics in development, Reflection | June 20, 2012 at 2:00 pm , by Erin Nash

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In her second post, as part of a 3-post series, Erin Nash describes and outlines the ‘moment’ in the world’s evolution that will be provided by Rio+20, which starts today. This 'moment' is a paradigm shift of universal proportions. She argues that a shift needs to be made at Rio+20,...

Is “sustainable development” an oxymoron?

Posted in: Alternatives in development, Environment, Ethics in development | June 11, 2012 at 9:55 pm , by Erin Nash

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In the first of a three-part series leading up to Rio+20 on June 20, Erin Nash asks if environmental sustainability and development can truly co-exist. Are we able to increase human wellbeing and quality of life, without using more resources than the Earth can produce for us?...

International Volunteerism: who benefits most?

Posted in: Ethical Tourism, Ethics in development, Youth | May 7, 2012 at 7:49 am , by Michaela Brown

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In international development, shrinking aid budgets and a increased desire to engage youth in global issues means that international volunteerism is increasingly relevant. However, how does this relate to the desired goal of sustainability? Based upon her experience working with an international volunteer organisation, Michaela Brown enters into this discussion,...

The Australian Government goes viral on refugees

Posted in: Migration | August 3, 2011 at 9:19 am , by Brendan Rigby

16 comments

The Australian Immigration Department announced that it will film the first group of asylum seekers processed under the new deal with Malaysia and post the video on YouTube. This decision by the Australian Federal Government to use YouTube to communicate immigration policy is disturbing. Not only are their serious ethical...

Is giving the greatest moral challenge of our time?

Posted in: Foreign Aid | April 15, 2011 at 12:32 pm , by Weh Yeoh

2 comments

Considering the spate of recent natural disasters, the need to give has never been so high. However, from listening to our political leaders discussing Australia's plan for foreign aid, the relatively simple issue of giving has become extremely complicated. In this post, Weh Yeoh tries to make sense of the...