Thought Provokers
The Future of Africa
Looking for an introduction to the issues facing Africa today and into the future? Jakkie Cilliers’ Open Access book “The Future of Africa: Challenges and Opportunities” (2021) is a good option, and is available for download here. The author is a leader in strategic studies focusing on Africa, founding an independent institute (Institute for Security […]
Tags: #Africa #Challenges #Opportunities #Strategic Studies #Textbook
Classifications of Knowledge
Looking to explore different epistemic and ontological vantage points? One option is Osman Bakar’s “Classification of Knowledge in Islam – A Study in Islamic Philosophies of Science” published by the Islamic Texts Society in 1998 (first published by the Institute for Policy Research in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 1992). The book examines classifications (different types; […]
Tags: #Classification of knowledge #Epistemology #Islam #Ontology #Philosophy
The End of Empire and the Birth of Neoliberalism
“Globalists: The End of Empire and the Birth of Neoliberalism” (2018) by Slobodian (Harvard Press) is a detailed history of the people and ideas neoliberalism, and the institutions they created. The book is historical and delved into the deep end. One reflection, which is somewhat counter intuitive, is that neoliberals are not opposed to government […]
The Ghost Map
“The Ghost Map: The Story of London’s Most Terrifying Epidemic – And How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World” (2006) by Steven Johnson is the story of cholera in Victorian London and how germ theory emerged. The book is well written, conveyed through the key figures involved, and enjoyable. The author weaves in […]
Tags: #Cholera #Diet #Germ Theory #The Ghost Map #Urbanization
Philosophy and African Development
Earlier I posted about a CODESRIA book on methodology, in the same year (2011) CODESRIA also published the book “Philosophy and African Development: Theory and Practice”, edited by Lansana Keita. As with the other volume, there are amazing contributors and contributions. The text was largely published earlier, as a 2004 journal issue, however most remains […]
Tags: #African Development #CODESRIA #Lansana Keita #Philosophy #Theory and Practice
Elections and Development in Africa
What does democracy / democratization result in within African contexts? Robin Harding argues that due to the increase of elections, combined with a majority of many countries being rural, is an increase in rural interests as an outcome. The answer is summarized in his 2020 book “Rural Democracy: Elections and Development in Africa”, which is […]
Tags: #Africa #Democracy #elections #Robin Harding #Rural Bias
Dissident Knowledge in Higher Education
In 2015 a symposium was held at the University of Regina on “Public Engagement and the Politics of Evidence in an Age of Neoliberalism and Audit Culture”, which went on to be the basis of the book “Dissident Knowledge in Higher Education”, published in 2018 by the University of Regina Press. The book is edited […]
Tags: #Audit Culture #Dissident knowledge #Higher education #James McNinch #Marc Spooner
Measuring Tomorrow
There are piles of critiques of economic indicators driving decision making, and a range of proposals for alternatives. In 2018 Eloi Laurent published “Measuring Tomorrow: Accounting for Well-Being, Resilience, and Sustainability in the Twenty-First Century”, which proposes new metrics. The book gives concrete examples of metrics and existing data sets – for those interested in […]
Tags: #Eloi Laurent #Measuring Tomorrow #Metrics #Resilience #Sustainailbity
Readings in Methodology – African Perspectives
The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), based in Dakar, Senegal, has produced some excellent books and journals. One example of this is “Readings in Methodology – African Perspectives”, published in 2011, and edited by Jean-Bernard Ouedraogo and Carlos Cardoso. The book has five parts: (1) social reasons for scientific […]
Tags: #African Perspectives #Carlos Cardoso #CODESRIA #Jean-Bernard Ouedraogo #Methodology
Agroecology – Science & Politics
If you are looking for an introduction to agroecology and/or a textbook for a course on sustainable agriculture, “Agroecology: Science and Politics” (2017) by Rosset and Altieri is it. This book is written by leading experts, activists, and advocates (which motivates the book), for students this might be read in combination with a parallel book […]
About me
Logan Cochrane
Associate Professor at HBKU in the College of Public Policy. He is an Associate Fellow of the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences and an Adjunct Professor at Hawassa University (Institute for Policy and Development Research). Over the last fifteen years, he has worked in Afghanistan, Benin, Burundi, Canada, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. Logan acts as a consultant for governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations, seeking to create bridges between research and practice.
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