International Aid and the Making of a Better World: Reflexive Practice
A new book from Rosalind Eyben
How can international aid professionals deal with the daily dilemmas of working for the wellbeing of people in countries other than their own? Rosalind Eyben, a lifelong development practitioner seeks to answer this question. In this book she provides a vivid and accessible insight into the world of aid: its people, ideas and values against the backdrop of a broader historical analysis of the contested ideals and politics of aid operations from the 1960s to the present day. She examines her own behaviour to explore what happens when trying to improve people’s lives in far-away countries and warns how self-deception may construct obstacles to the very change desired. She proposes that those working in international development must respond self-critically to the dilemmas of power and knowledge that shape aid’s messy relations, and advocates the adoption of the habit of reflexivity in order to help make a better world. Published by Routledge, ISBN 978-0-415-65674-0.
Thea Shahrokh and Joanna Wheeler (eds)
Tackling extreme poverty and marginalisation alongside rising and intersecting inequalities must be a priority for the post-2015 agenda. As country representatives at the United Nations undertake the difficult task of agreeing the next steps towards a final framework, a focus on the three key areas including improving livelihoods and pro-poor infrastructure development; increasing opportunities for participation and citizen action and tackling discriminatory social norms is critical if the final targets are to be transformative for the poorest and most marginalised people. This Policy Briefing examines these focus areas and provides some policy recommendations.