The Baines Report
Photo of citizen rescuers in 1985 earthquake: United Nations (CC) Recent earthquakes in Mexico City have reinvigorated grassroots organizations’ appeals for municipal transparency and financial accountability. Civilian groups such as Los Topos and Transparencia Mexicana are placing pressure on federal and local officials as affected areas begin rebuilding. Grassroots platforms were similar catalysts for emergency management […]
Caption: Icelandic Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson baking a cake in an oft-mocked campaign ad. Source: Nútíminn While the United States is still reeling from a 2016 election campaign besmirched by online hatred and international interference, the small island nation of Iceland proves that even countries without raucous political cultures are not immune from the pervasive […]
Photo: Rachel Strohm (CC) This past summer, I had the good fortune to attend the LeoAfrica Economic Forum, a one-day conference dedicated to chronicling disruptive growth and development innovations in Africa. The event featured panelists and organizations from all segments of the innovation space in Africa and played host to a series of talks about […]
Photo: Pexels (CC) On October 22 Japan will hold a snap election, over a year in advance of the regularly scheduled date, December 2018. This decision, made by current Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo, has been met with mixed reactions at home and abroad. Abe’s potential motives are being debated, but several factors may play […]
Last week we discussed how Turkey’s unique style of democracy came into existence. In the second part of this series, we will explore the underlying problems and repercussions of the recent referendum vote where 58 percent of voters supported a referendum that limits the political power of the military and places the judiciary square in […]
The Turkish electorate just resoundingly passed a referendum with 58 percent of the vote that could very well end Turkey’s definition of democracy. Turkish democracy is not like other versions of democracy; well, maybe not until now. This week we will discuss how Turkey’s unique style of democracy came into existence. Next week, we will […]
Photo: Mattia Panciroli (CC) On Tuesday, Sept. 26, Saudi Arabia announced via televised royal decree that it will finally allow women to drive, marking a watershed moment in the fight for women’s rights. The verdict gives Saudi Arabian women both the literal and metaphorical wheel: as they are handed the keys, they will reach an […]
Photo: Trish Hartmann (CC) Crook Fellow Michael Deegan analyzes current U.S. policy regarding the Western Balkans through insights gained during his time at the Office of the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia: Earlier this month, U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence paid a visit to the coastal country of Montenegro to address the Adriatic Summit, […]
Photos: Katherine Whitton Crook Fellow Katherine Whitton has been interning through the AidData Summer Fellowship Program at the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC) in Kampala, Uganda this summer. Her work involves a feasibility assessment, production of geocoded data, geocoding and GIS training, and research plan development. Katherine is sharing her thoughts about living in Africa as an […]
Photo: Zenia Nuñez (CC BY 2.0) Crook Fellow Dane Ulik has been spending his summer working for Artists for Soup, a nonprofit whose mission, amongst many others, is to improve food security in La Paz Centro and Matagalpa, Nicaragua. Dane is applying his research and data analysis skills to aid the organization in refining their initiatives, and […]
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