Aid Debates
Every few months a topic will spark the interest of the aid community and an online debate will ensue. The following are links to compilation posts that track the various aid debates.
RCTs and aid effectiveness: Much to be said
A debate on the impact and ethics of RCT’s (Randomized Control Trials) in aid.
Debates whether the Earth can sustain 7 billion people or whether this is just fear mongering.
Over 150 posts on the scandal covering everything from financial questions, board makeup, transparency, effectiveness, to whether he’s a real mountaineer and what is the role and responsibility of media and charitable watchdogs.
A counter campaign to TOMS One Day Without Shoes. Over 60 posts, photos, and videos on a wide range of topics.
World Vision and the 100,000 Misprinted NFL Shirt Donations
Posts debating both the efficacy and ethics of World Vision sending 100,000 shirts from the losing team to developing countries.
Volunteers Vs. Professionals: A Complex Issue
There is an ongoing debate in the aid world about role and impact of volunteers and/or amateurs in aid and development work. The complexity of this issue is apparent in the fact that many bloggers have written multi-part series on the topic.
Will the Next Revolution be Tweeted?
Whether social media has the power to create real change has been debated in the aid world before. People have argued both for and against the potential impact and usefulness of social media campaigns. A recent article from Malcolm Gladwell in The New Yorker restarted the online debate.
The impact of the Clinton Global Initiative and UN Week
New York City is packed with people attending both the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) and UN Week where the focus is on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). Will these meetings have an impact? Read the posts to find out what aid workers think.
A discussion and debate centering around the transparency of organizations in Georgia who receive USAID grant money.
The subject of poverty tourism keeps resurfacing in the aid world. The general crux of the debate is whether it’s OK to pay to look at poor people/areas.
1 Million Shirts and Sending Donated Goods Overseas
This debate started when an organization proposed A project was launched to send 1 million used t-shirts to Africa. Its social media profile was high enough that it caught the attention of aid professionals who blog. Within the course of just two weeks over 60 blog posts were written about the project from an incredible range of people.
Posts discussing how media coverage, charity advertising, and advocacy impact the types of aid projects that get funded and implemented.
Kiva and Donor Illusion in Advertising
The posts and comments flew fast and furious over the issue of Kiva specifically and the issues of transparency and donors demands for illusion.