development

Indonesia Etc.: complexity and development amongst cultural and temporal diversity

Is it possible to build a nation as complex as Indonesia before fully understanding its complexity? What is holding Indonesia together despite its diversity? Is decentralization good for Indonesia? These are some of the questions that were asked last week at the Habibie and Ainun Library in South Jakarta during the presentation of the new

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Access and equity in local services in Indonesia: some interesting evidence

On a regular basis programs working in the area of governance and decentralisation come together here in Jakarta to share and discuss the results of a research, studies and analysis. Yesterday I attended a presentation about the findings from an econometric analysis that looked at trends derived from 12 years (2001-2011) of secondary data on

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The value of evidence and the power of values in the referendum on the independence of Scotland.

Today is the day. 4.3 million residents in Scotland and aged 16 or over have the right to cast their ballot to answer a straight forward question with big implications: ‘Should Scotland be an independent country?.’ A simple majority is required by the Yes campaign to win the referendum and leave the United Kingdom after

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The way San Antonio plays basketball and what it means for teams working in development projects

The San Antonio Spurs have overwhelmed the Miami Heat two games on the row now. These are the NBA finals but it looks more like regular season games between a top and a mid ranking teams. The first half of Game 3 is unheard of. At one point deep into the second quarter San Antonio

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What are we talking when we talk about the demand and use of research evidence? Some thoughts after a trip to the city of Probolinggo in East Java.

I travelled a couple of weeks ago with colleagues from the Knowledge Sector Initiative (KSI) to the city of Probolinggo, in the eastern part of Java. To get there you have to fly from Jakarta to  Malang (ca. 1 hour and 15 minutes) and then drive for about two hours.  It is a nice car ride. There is traffic on the road

What are we talking when we talk about the demand and use of research evidence? Some thoughts after a trip to the city of Probolinggo in East Java. Read More »