[I’m off on holiday this week, but have scheduled a few posts in my absence. Any probs, please email research@oxfam.org.uk.]
‘Monkey still working. Baboon gotta wait small.’ Oxfam’s Muyatwa Sitali presents (and explains) his pick of Africa’s wonderful election slogans.
Nancy Birdsall poses some nice sharp questions for the three candidates to be the next World Bank president and Lant Pritchett sets out the tactics for making sure Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala wins, rather than US nominee Jim Kim. The Economist also weighs in behind Ngozi.
Is climate change one of the issues that will drive a change in the role of the state in the 21st century?, asks Matthew Lockwood.
‘There have also been signs of a “political cycle” in the critiques. When our up-dates (at three-yearly intervals) [of global poverty numbers] find little (or seemingly modest) progress against poverty, some of our more right-leaning critics come up with some argument as to why we are systematically underestimating that progress. The left-leaning critics are more accepting at these times. By contrast, when we find progress, such critics come up with arguments as to why we are over-stating that progress. We don’t get much critical attention from the right at these times.’ The World Bank’s Martin Ravallion ruefully ponders the fate of researchers on poverty – someone is always going to object to your findings.
Can games change the way we think about the future? From April 3-5, (i.e. tomorrow), the Rockefeller Foundation will be holding a global public online game, called Catalysts for Change, to identify a thousand new paths out of poverty in just 48 hours of gameplay with hundreds of players from all walks of life. The game is open to everyone, anywhere in the world. Register to play at game.catalyze4change.org. Follow the game on Twitter (@catalyze4change) and on Facebook.’ Flyer here. How to play instructions here. Short video promo below
How to feed the world without destroying the planet – neat video from the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change, launching its new report. My remaining brain cells can’t cope with comparing this model with the doughnut – any offers? [h/t John Magrath]
Thanks for sharing the Commission video, Duncan.
Actually my colleague Sonja wrote a comment a few months ago on the link between this film and the Doughnut concept:
“[The Doughnut is] a very useful metaphor for structuring global and national conversations on environment and development – thanks very much indeed for the timely paper Oxfam. One use will be to look deeper into the interactions between the fllors and the boundaries. For example, you say that 13% of people who are currently malnourished could be fed adequately on just 1% of current food production. Growing more food most likely means more climate change, less water availability for other uses, more land use change and more biodiversity loss… so it makes a big difference if we supply that 1% from current food production (which we could, through fairer distribution) or from additional food production. These challenges will only multiply in future as there are more people alive and needing to eat. The Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change has taken on just this one bite of the doughnut (food availability under climate change) and, in nice synergy with your work, has come up with a a “safe operating space” concept: how we can eat adequately and equitably without further impacts on our climate [..] My guess is that many of us will find many opportunities to take these doughnut-shaped ideas forward – so thanks again!”