Monthly Archives: April 2012

bringing in the state for experiments and development efforts — when? how?

there have been a lot of mentions of governments, experiments, ownership, & development in the past two weeks that sparked a few ideas in my head. the underlying theme is that we need to start considering not just the political economy of the contexts in which we work but how to actually bring political andContinue reading “bringing in the state for experiments and development efforts — when? how?”

somali pirates switching back to smaller boats

to remain less conspicuous, Somali pirates have been switching back to using smaller, more traditional boats (e.g., i think) as motherships, which blend in with fishing boats. this probably will keep them closer to shore. more here. a few points of note: “a study published in February by U.S. non-governmental organisation One Earth Future FoundationContinue reading “somali pirates switching back to smaller boats”

demography: two things i remember from class and one thing i managed to remember from a book

sometimes memory devices and catch phrases work for me, like remembering how to set a table, how to spell encyclopedia, and how many ounces are in a pint (and a pound, incidentally). sometimes, they do not, as evidenced by the fact that i only remember the demonic halves of the demonic mnemonics for the cranialContinue reading “demography: two things i remember from class and one thing i managed to remember from a book”

we’re experimenting! also, clarifying types of replications

a nice article from chris said, discussing how we might alter publication rules (and the granting requirements of donor organizations)  in a way to move us closer to good, useful research – specifically, looking more toward the importance of the question and the rigor of the method to answer it. i am, of course, fullyContinue reading “we’re experimenting! also, clarifying types of replications”

experimenting with intention

this post revisits some issues i have touched on before. first of all, good find by roving bandit. the gist is that an experimental program undertaken in ‘ideal’ (NGO-run) conditions did not show any effect when the same program was run by the government. oops. i think this raises several possible questions related to carryingContinue reading “experimenting with intention”

talking about ‘the rest’ (no dear, we don’t call it that because we are not talking about africa right now)

this is so spot-on and people have added several more strong ones in the comments. i particularly like the vision of norway invading the US and sorting us out. they can play ‘immigrant song’ on the trip over. am thinking we need to start a list for health… also, for past and present high-seas piracy.

if it doesn’t kill them, it makes them stronger (III) / why would you do things that way? (II)

well, this is bad and annoying. bad: malaria resistance to ACTs is being increasingly reported in Thailand. annoying: the article’s narrator & interviewee go on to say that immediate steps need to be taken. then, instead of listing some possible steps, they highlight that maybe a malaria vaccine is on the horizon. 1. what should weContinue reading “if it doesn’t kill them, it makes them stronger (III) / why would you do things that way? (II)”

off-the-grid, profitable toilets? / why would you do things that way? (I)

i am pretty sure this is the beginning of a cool idea for improving water & sanitation, which is ever-so-critical for public health (still the #2 cause of under-5 mortality globally – though it’s not clear if these new toilets have potty-training options and what that actually means for the spread of disease…). skipping theContinue reading “off-the-grid, profitable toilets? / why would you do things that way? (I)”