I find it very hard to work or write on airplanes so in my last trip, I watched Rounders. Matt Damon –whose smile lights up any smoke-filled room – is a reformed gambler and current law student whose girlfriend (a translucent Gretchen Moll) wants him to kick the habit. He picks up his best friend (Edward Norton, appropriately called the “worm”) from prison, and the worm goes … [Read more...] about Cash and Crime
Beyond development effectiveness
Listen to your mother
We don't need no education We don´t need no thought control Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone! All in all it's just another brick in the wall. Despite Pink Floyd, it is pretty clear that education pays off. And programs targeted towards the earliest years have a higher return than those directed at later years. But who knew that when you finally went to college, … [Read more...] about Listen to your mother
Hirschman or the years of thinking differently
I just finished Jeremy Adelman´s biography of Albert O. Hirschman, Wordly Philosopher. It is a deep and detailed account of the life of a remarkable person. Reading it is a breath of fresh air, in which the values of integrity and consistency stand out in a career full of difficulties. Too original, too bold, too interdisciplinary, too reformist or too liberal. He suffered … [Read more...] about Hirschman or the years of thinking differently
4 views on evaluation challenges
By Paloma Acevedo* Conducting an impact evaluation (IE) is a complex exercise full of challenges - if you don’t agree, you probably have not worked on one yet! Some publications, such as ”Learning About Experiments That Never Happened” or blogs about common mistakes in evaluations, talk about some of these challenges. In the workshop “Surveys and Impact Evaluation of … [Read more...] about 4 views on evaluation challenges
Climate change and agriculture, a hot topic
By: Juan José Miranda* Climate change is one of the most interesting topics as we face an uncertain but certainly warmer future. According to the latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the temperature may rise by as much as 4.5 degrees Celsius by 2100, with an expected value between 2.5-3.0 degrees. On this there is consensus, but the consensus on … [Read more...] about Climate change and agriculture, a hot topic