This dreary February has been brightened up for me by my new-found joy and addiction to 'Borgen', the Danish political thriller with a wonderful, powerful woman Prime Minister. It's even better than my other, and laugh-out-loud, favourite, 'In the Loop'. …
As a journalist I spend a lot of time reporting on the developing world. To be honest, many of my stories focus on problems and failures, so when I was approached to moderate an event about the Millennium Development Goals …
As a development economist, I’m itching to read Poor Economics, the new book by the amazing Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee. Unfortunately, it's not yet widely available in UK bookshops. Thankfully, there’s a wonderful visual web version of the book's key findings, …
First of all, let me apologise for the inordinate delay since my last blog on this site. One of my excuses is that during this period DFID India, along with other DFID offices across the world, has been busily engaged …
I live in Scotland. A lot of people are often surprised at that. They’re also often surprised to hear that DFID has a large office in Scotland, just on the outskirts of Glasgow. From my desk on the top floor …
As most people who have ever watched Comic Relief will know, I’ve been to Africa many times before. I’ve reported on the destruction wreaked by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, on drought, on famine, on kids forced to live on the streets …
A hundred years ago today, women across the world took a historic step on the long road to equality. The first ever International Women's Day was called to draw attention to the unacceptable and often dangerous working conditions that so …
A couple of weeks ago I attended a number of fascinating sessions at the International Growth Centre’s Growth Week. One event that particularly stuck in my mind focused on the role China is playing in Africa. At the UN Millennium …
Two events in the last few weeks have focused my attention on the challenges that climate change poses in urban areas, and how DFID can contribute to finding solutions. First I paid a visit to Beddington Zero (fossil) Energy Development, …
I've noticed the term "growth" is often misunderstood when it comes to development. I’ve even had people thinking I work on agricultural issues – helping things to grow! What I really do is make sure DFID is effective at supporting …
Recent Comments