6 Great Development Blogs

No longer living in Ethiopia or Senegal, I’m not as tuned into the workings of on-the-ground development. Thankfully we have some good folks who keep us in the loop and help us learn more. Here are my favorites.

Blood and Milk. Alanna Shaikh writes all over the place, but her own Blood and Milk blog is my favorite. She’s wise, and has seen enough in global health and development to have a solid macro view, while still being able to dive down to the details. Best of all, her writing is clear, concise and passionate, making her ideas accessible to newbies and experts alike.

Chris Blattman. Chris is an Associate Prof at Yale. He’s best when scouring the development scene’s best commentary for us, and adding his own take. He is insatiably curious, often provoking open-ended questions without the ego of a prominent emerging academic.

Duncan Green. Green, Head of Research at Oxfam UK, is widely read and widely respected. He tackles complex issues, but does so readibly, candidly, and fairly. He lets his passion shine through, and is not afraid to speak out, regardless of the prominence of the target organization.

Owen Barder. I had hoped to connect with Owen, an economist, through a couple of different mutual contacts while in Ethiopia. I wish I had. Either I’m only catching on to his voice or he has taken it to another level recently, spurring some great conversation on the development blogs. He offers balanced insight on complex aspects of development and tackles some of my own beefs much more elegantly than I could have. He appreciates data and explores the gray areas of the system, two elements I appreciate.

Aid Watch. Bill Easterly is the resident cranky old man of development blogs. But he’s often right, has a deft sense of humour and has mastered new media to spread his voice wider than ever before. His baby, Aid Watch, seeks out the system’s weak points (there are many) and cuts them down as well as anybody out there. I often wish he’d provide more positive examples and optimism, but I suppose that’s not his role - he wants to cull the bullshit from and and development and make sure it actually benefits the poor. Works for me.

Karen Grepin. Karen is a friend and global health specialist at NYU. When I have questions about anything health-related, I find her or Alanna. She writes a great blog, which is accessible for non-health types like myself. Like many on this list, I love that she looks beyond the common wisdom and hype to determine what is and isn’t actually working in health and development.

There’s a bunch I like beyond those above, including Aid on The Edge of Chaos, Aid Thoughts (from Oxford), Msafiri Mzungu, Where in the World is Colleen and Mark Jeunnette (all friends working in Africa), Wronging Rights, Texas in Africa (esp for great link lists), Rob Crilly (for anything Darfur) and Scarlett Lion (esp for the photography).

What are your favorites? Especially African bloggers on development, as looking at the list now, it’s pretty American and Europe-dominated. Let me know.

B

Check out more:  Featured Posts - Africa - Ethiopia - Senegal - Our World - Development

Tagged as: aid on the edge of chaos, aid watch, alanna shaikh, bill easterly, blood and milk, chris blattman, colleen duncan, Development, development blogs, duncan green, karen grepin, msarfiri mzubgu, owen barder, scarlett lion, texas in africa, wronging rights