Failing is embarrassing and inevitable. It is for that reason that is very refreshing to find organizations that want to learn from failure, where failure is recognized and built upon, like the Canadian NGO Engineers Without Borders, led by David Damberger, and which produces an Annual Failure Report. A good reason for the flourishing of Impact Evaluations is the … [Read more...] about Learning from failure
Is blogging good for economics?
A few days ago, I attended an entertaining discussion on blogs at the IDB. It had the wonkish title “Blogging without borders: best practices of highly effective global blogging.” Shanta Devarajan Chief economist for Africa at the World Bank, Felix Salmon from Reuters and David Roodman from the Center for International Development discussed on whether blogging can be good for … [Read more...] about Is blogging good for economics?
Please wash your hands and save a child
Dr. Atul Gawande in his fascinating book “Better” reports his bewilderment on the mystery on why “the meticulousness of the operating room has not spread beyond its double doors”: even after a year-long campaign in the Hospital in which he works in Boston, 30% of all doctors still did not follow standard hygiene protocols. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention … [Read more...] about Please wash your hands and save a child
Just one pesky passenger can save your life
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 1.3 million people die each year from road accidents. Over 90% of deaths happen in low and middle income countries and it is the leading cause of deaths for young people (15-29). In low income countries, more people die from accidents than malaria and HIV/AIDS combined! The recipe for addressing this issue is … [Read more...] about Just one pesky passenger can save your life
Three views on the impact of urban development projects
The panel on “the challenges of urban development” in the Mind the Gap Conference that took place in Cuernavaca June 15-17 included presentations by Marco Gonzalez from the University of Toronto, Jerushah Rangasami from Impact Consulting and Juan Vargas from the Universidad del Rosario in Colombia. Sebastian Martinez from the IDB moderated. … [Read more...] about Three views on the impact of urban development projects