I read a very interesting book earlier in the year. It’s called Here Comes Everybody and it’s by Clay Shirky. Buy or borrow it. It’s great. One of the ideas it put forward is that success in the world of Web 2.0 is driven by repeated failure. Here’s a quote that sums it up nicely: […]

I was waxing lyrical the other day about the benefits of Kiva and other such fundraising platforms. I was well into my rant about ‘the free market and letting the donors choose’ when a thought struck me. When did I start believing that free markets and donor choice was such a great thing for the beneficiary? […]

For those with a sophisticated view of development issues, there’s plenty to dislike about this project. Affluent kid from Canada raises a bit of money and goes poverty-touring in Bangladesh. Makes a video diary about it. Incorporates a voting system. Focuses on service delivery rather than capacity building and empowerment. Comes across as a little […]