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Agricultural Transformation in Ethiopia

Agricultural Transformation in Ethiopia

“Agricultural Transformation in Ethiopia: State Policy and Smallholder Farming” (2018) edited by Atakilte Beyene is an excellent book on diverse components of the agricultural sector. Given the importance of agriculture in Ethiopia, this is an important addition as there are few books that cover the sector comprehensively (several are available that cover specific components). The introduction by Atakilte […]

Tags: #Agriculture #Atakilte Beyene #Ethiopia #Rural Development #Smallholder farming

Thought Provokers
Why Civil Resistance Works

Why Civil Resistance Works

Over the last year I have posted about a number of books related to civil resistance. In reading that literature, one of the works that gets frequently referred to is “Why Civil Resistance Works – The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict” by Chenoweth and Stephan (2011). Given that the field of study is a relatively […]

Tags: #civil action #Civil resistance #mass movements #Nonviolence #Violence

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Can We Know Better? Reflections for Development

Can We Know Better? Reflections for Development

Cochrane, L. (2019) Review: Can We Know Better? Reflections for Development. Progress in Development Studies 19: 84-86. Starting in the 1980s, there have been regular publications of books that invite critical self-reflection in development study and practice: Rural Development: Putting the Last First (1983), Challenging the Professions (1993), Whose Reality Counts? (1997), Participatory Workshops (2002), […]

Tags: #Can We Know Better #Development #Development Studies #Reflections for Development #Robert Chambers

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Human Rights and the Food Sovereignty Movement

Human Rights and the Food Sovereignty Movement

Priscilla Claeys’s “Human Rights and the Food Sovereignty Movement: Reclaiming Control” (2015) had some high level support and praise (Jun Borras, Olivier De Schutter, etc). The beginning of the abstract reads: “Our global food system is undergoing rapid change. Since the global food crisis of 2007-2008, a range of new issues have come to public […]

Tags: #Food Security #Food Sovereignty #Human Rights #La Via Campesina #Legal Advocacy

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Education, Politics and Social Change in Ethiopia

Education, Politics and Social Change in Ethiopia

In looking for research that explores the challenges of ethnic federalism and language in Ethiopia, I came across the book “Education, Politics and Social Change in Ethiopia” (2010), edited by Paulos Milkias (Concordia University) and Messay Kebede (University of Dayton). All of the contributing authors are based outside of Ethiopia, which is not necessarily negative, […]

Tags: #Education #Ethiopia #Language #Politics #Social change

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Kofi Annan – Interventions

Kofi Annan – Interventions

Kofi Annan (1938-2018) was the Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006, a turbulent time to say the least. He penned “Interventions: A Life in War and Peace” (2012) with Nader Mousavizadeh to provide some of the high, lows, challenges and successes of his time leading the UN. The book is a recounting […]

Tags: #Colonialism #Kofi Annan #Leadership #Security Council #United Nations

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