Hanging out in men’s bathrooms: is it time to rethink what ‘evidence’ means in international development?

What constitutes ‘sufficient evidence’ for aid program and policy makers to take decisions – about budgets, activities and so on – in aid and development? Have been talking about this with academics, officials, NGOs, project managers and donors for a number of years now. Ever since working with The Asia Foundation (TAF) where the question …

Continue reading Hanging out in men’s bathrooms: is it time to rethink what ‘evidence’ means in international development?

The one that Australian aid forgot? Trying to put the R back in MERL

By Priya Chattier and Lavinia Tyrrel Spent last week at the second of three workshops on how to better use research in aid and development[1]. Lots of good discussion, but seemed we were all tip-toeing around the elephant in the room: does anyone else care about this (prioritising research and analysis in aid) other than …

Continue reading The one that Australian aid forgot? Trying to put the R back in MERL

Are we divorced yet – or just arguing?

Somebody once said (George Bernard Shaw or Oscar Wilde would be pretty good guesses), that America and England are two countries separated by the same language. I have similar sensations on the (thankfully few) occasions I attend annual conferences on this, that or the other. As the Australian National University’s (ANU) Annual Australasian Aid Conference …

Continue reading Are we divorced yet – or just arguing?