Podcasts about International development

Yesterday, we heard from former USAID administrator Dr. Atul Gawande about the lives lost because of the gutting of the United States Agency for International Development. On today's show, we focus on people in Nepal and their experiences before and after the cuts to foreign assistance. In Nepal, USAID helped fund organizations whose efforts centered on fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS. And some of those organizations employed transgender aid workers, who are living in a country where existing outside the gender binary is generally forbidden. But after the cuts to USAID, many of these trans women have resorted to sex work – putting themselves at risk for the same disease they worked so hard to stop. To learn more about their stories, we spoke with Kristen Gelineau, a global investigative reporter for the Associated Press who visited Nepal in the spring.And in headlines, hundreds of people have been killed in flash floods that swept through the Nepal-China border, President Donald Trump announced Lake Ontario will now be known as Lake America, and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt gets ready to leave the White House.Show Notes: Check out Kristen's work – tinyurl.com/ybc78uka Call Congress – 202-224-3121 Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/ For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com

On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Alice C. Hill, the David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment at the Council on Foreign Relations, for Part 6 of Food Tank's series exploring the far-reaching impacts of dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development. They discuss how USAID's closure is impacting climate risk, the decisions we need to make now to keep communities safe in the future, and staying optimistic by pushing forward work that matters. Plus, FEWS NET stops reporting on three "hunger hotspot" countries, land restoration efforts around the world continue to grow, new research reveals it may be getting easier to hold fossil fuel companies accountable, U.S. farmers struggle to access resources, and the African Sahel region is seeing more water than it has in decades.  While you're listening, subscribe, rate, and review the show; it would mean the world to us to have your feedback. You can listen to "Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg" wherever you consume your podcasts.

It's been more than a year since Elon Musk and the DOGE boys fed the United States Agency for International Development – or USAID, into a QUOTE “woodchipper.” And since then, according to reporting from NPR and other outlets, the dismantling of USAID has resulted in the deaths of more than 700,000 people. That's because USAID worked globally to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS, end childhood malnutrition, battle infectious diseases and help women have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. Dr. Atul Gawande was a USAID administrator under the Biden Administration, leading the Bureau of Global Health. Now he's warning what the gutting of the agency means for the world, and for America.And in headlines, Meta agrees to pay up to $18 billion and add stronger child-safety measures to its platforms as part of a landmark legal settlement, Bill Gates warns about the dangers of artificial intelligence, and U.S. Sen. Darline Grahamwins the Republican nomination to replace her late brother on South Carolina's general election ballot.Show Notes: Check out Atul's piece – tinyurl.com/3yfz8pjn Call Congress – 202-224-3121 Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/ For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com

Energy abundance means different things in today's global context than it did even a decade ago. It is about expanding electricity access while meeting rising energy demand. It is about navigating geopolitical fragmentation, limited government support, and shifting development priorities. And it is about leveraging new technologies to deliver reliable power at scale. But the challenge is not just technological. It is institutional and financial. Many low- and middle-income countries face high capital costs, limited access to financing, and policy frameworks that struggle to keep pace with growing demand.  Solving this challenge is a priority for both the Center on Global Energy Policy and The Rockefeller Foundation. That's why this past spring the two organizations launched a high-level panel to advance "universal energy abundance," an idea that positions reliable, affordable energy as a cornerstone of economic growth, industrialization, and opportunity in emerging and developing economies.  So what does it take to move from energy scarcity and toward energy abundance? Can international institutions, governments, and investors come together to mobilize the scale of investment required? And how can emerging economies balance the urgency of expanding energy access with the need for affordability, reliability, and sustainability? Today on the show, we're revisiting a conversation that Jason Bordoff had back in April with Rajiv Shah, president of The Rockefeller Foundation, about the high-level panel and its goals. Rajiv has led The Rockefeller Foundation since 2017. Prior to that, during the Obama administration, he led the US Agency for International Development as its administrator. He also served on the National Security Council, at the US Department of Agriculture, and held leadership roles at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Credits: Hosted by Jason Bordoff and Bill Loveless. Produced by Mary Catherine O'Connor, Caroline Pitman, and Kyu Lee. Engineering by Gregory Vilfranc.  

This week, we're taking a closer look at international development and global debt as part of our August deep dives.Joining Carys is Naomi Nyamweya, Senior Research and Policy Manager at the Malala fund, working on education financing.Carys and Naomi discuss Elon Musk, aid dependence, Afreximbank's lawsuit against South Sudan, and African debt and interest rates.Support us on ⁠⁠www.patreon.com/OverTheTopUnderTheRadar⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - get bonus episodes, a weekly newsletter and become a part of our members-only WhatsApp community.Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠info@overunderpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up to the newsletter at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://www.overunderpod.com⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on all socials @‌over_under_pod_Links: http://samaritans.org https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-dr-jason-atta-kwei-arday?cp_src=d https://goodlawproject.org/petition/jason-arday-letter/ https://media.samaritans.org/documents/Media_Guidelines_2026_DIGITAL.pdfhttps://x.com/NaomiNyamweya_https://malala.org/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuoqKYxDHVchttps://www.implicator.ai/new-musk-interview-musk-told-the-economist-usaid-killed-no-one-it-didnt/https://www.commondreams.org/news/musk-dead-children-usaidhttps://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/jul/30/a-quarter-of-young-africans-believe-usaid-cuts-could-be-positive-survey-findshttps://debtjustice.org.uk/press-release/south-sudan-ordered-to-pay-afreximbank

Cyber and Operational Risk in the Quantum Era: Financial Stability amid Escalating Geopolitical ConflictThis panel took place at the 2026 International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group Spring Meetings.Financial stability is under fire as geopolitics and cyber risk collide. As global tensions intensify and technological capabilities accelerate, financial institutions face a rapidly evolving threat landscape where cyber operations, financial crime, and state-sponsored actors are increasingly intertwined. From ransomware campaigns and sanctions evasion to sophisticated cyber intrusions targeting critical infrastructure, adversaries are exploiting digital systems and global financial networks in new and complex ways.As these threats continue to evolve, the quantum horizon introduces an additional layer of strategic risk. This executive panel will examine how advances in quantum computing could reshape cyber and operational risk across the financial sector, while also considering the growing convergence between cyber-enabled crime, ransomware payments, sanctions evasion, and global illicit finance networks. Leaders from policy, finance, and technology will explore the implications of quantum-enabled decryption, the expanding links between cyber threats and illicit finance, and the operational vulnerabilities that could undermine confidence in critical financial infrastructure.The discussion focused on how institutions and regulators can strengthen resilience, enhance cross-border coordination, and prepare for a future in which emerging technologies, cyber conflict, ransomware, and financial crime increasingly intersect. The panel explored what these developments mean for international efforts to combat cyber-enabled financial crime and how global standards bodies, national authorities, and financial institutions can strengthen cooperation to protect the integrity and resilience of the international financial system.Opening Remarks:Cindy Termorshuizen, Deputy Minister of International Development, Government of CanadaPanelists:Giles Thomson, Director, Economic Crime and Sanctions, His Majesty's Treasury; Incoming President, FATFStefan Ingves, Chair, Toronto Centre; Former Governor, Sveriges RiksbankMichele Mosca, Professor, Institute for Quantum Computing, University of WaterlooModerator:Jennifer Elliott, Assistant Director, Monetary and Capital Markets, IMF; Board Member, Toronto CentreWatch the executive panel session here.Read the transcript here. Read their biographies here.

L'action violente de l'action Trump contre l'agence USAID a récemment remis l'aide humanitaire sur le devant de la scène médiatique. Mais qu'est-ce au fond que cette aide humanitaire ? En quoi se distingue-t-elle de la coopération au développement ? Quelles sont les mutations géopolitiques en vigueur ? Enfin, comment fonctionne l'action humanitaire de l'Union européenne et quels sont les grands débats qui traversent actuellement le secteur ?Invité : Alexandre PironAvec Vincent GabrielSuivez le podcast ! Il est désormais sur X/Twitter : @20MPC_podcast & LinkedIn !   Générique : Léopold Corbion (15 Years of Reflection)Miniature : Sarah Dargento (crédits : USAID U.S. Agency for International Development. Port-au-Prince, Haïti (Jan. 17, 2010). Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic)Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

It's been almost five years since the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan after US troops withdrew from the country. In the years since, Afghanistan has faced a deepening hunger crisis and human rights advocates are pressing the Australian Government to recognise gender apartheid under international law. SBS Pashto's Mujeeb Muneeb speaks to Anne Aly, the Minister for International Development and Multicultural Affairs about Australia's humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.

Story of the Week (DR):Uber's Strategy for Fighting Sexual Assault Suits: ‘What Were You Wearing?'An aggressive defense strategy is being used in response to an avalanche of litigation, with over 4,000 lawsuits filed by passengers accusing Uber of failing to protect them from sexual assaultWhile Uber publicly champions itself as a "survivor-centric" ally and trains support staff against victim-blaming, its defense lawyers ruthlessly contradict this to protect the $145 billion company.Uber's attorneys aggressively interrogate survivors about their clothing (e.g., asking if they wore underwear or heels), drug and alcohol consumption, and sexual history.The legal team weaponizes past trauma by scouring private medical records and therapy notes, even petitioning courts to force survivors to undergo psychiatric exams or reveal details of childhood abuse to paint them as "unreliable narrators".Legal experts warn these scorched-earth tactics are deliberately designed to re-traumatize victims, discouraging lawsuits and intimidating survivors into settling.Chief Legal Officer Tony West: “Why safety is personal to me”Cites his public service career to cover for ruthless corporate tactics, like drafting Prop 22 to strip driver protections.Frames survivor trauma as a flaw of the "adversarial legal system," deflecting from Uber's own attorneys using aggressive, victim-blaming tactics to minimize payouts.Uses a single favorable quote from one trial judge to dismiss widespread litigation abuse.Touts ending forced arbitration while continuing to block class-action lawsuits, trapping survivors in isolated 1-on-1 fights.Brags about transparent reporting despite Uber burying 400,000+ assault complaints (2017–2022) under labels like "unaudited."TikTok Withheld a Safety Feature From Millions. One Died by SuicideWhen TikTok tweaked its algorithm in 2021 to stop users from being overwhelmed with harmful content, the company didn't roll out the safer version to everyone, a confidential internal document shows.Instead, to see if the change might reduce the app's stickiness, the company conducted an experiment. It created a control group of 10% of US users — at the time, that would have been about 15 million people — who kept the old version of the app.This group, according to the document, included 16-year-old Chase Nasca. TikTok's algorithm pushed him thousands of videos about suicide, sadness, hopelessness and loneliness, right up until he killed himself.TikTok says moderator error delayed removal of Perez Hilton's livestream showing acts of self-harmGAO finds Elon Musk's DOGE inflated claims of $110 billion in savings for federal governmentThe GAO found that 96% of the savings DOGE claimed from grant cancellations lacked supporting evidence or methodology to verify.DOGE claimed $27.4 billion in savings across 2,503 contracts—including a $1.7 billion Pentagon IT deal—that were never actually terminated or reduced.Over 40% of the lease cancellations listed on DOGE's "Wall of Receipts" were already in progress before the agency was created.GAO uncovered widespread data errors, such as overstating total lease savings by nearly $60 million and failing to report baseline limitations.DOGE failed to disclose how it calculated its metrics and completely ignored GAO requests for interviews and supporting data.Where are Elon Musk's former DOGE staffers now?Edward “Big Balls” Coristine: a whistleblower alleged that Coristine planned to upload sensitive Social Security Administration data to an unsecured server. He also helped dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID.Coristine now appears to work at the National Design Studio, an office created to overhaul federal websites and other public-facing services, making them more usable, visually consistent and less expensive to build.Jeremy Lewin: helped oversee the dismantling of USAIDLewin later became the State Department's senior official for foreign assistance, humanitarian affairs and religious freedom, giving a former DOGE operative authority over the programs his old team had helped slash.He was subsequently reported to be moving to the White House National Security Council.Nate Cavanaugh and Justin FoxFounded a holding company called Special, which promises to do for private businesses what DOGE did for the federal government.“To achieve this, Special is building an operating system to transform critical American industries with AI. We call it SpecialOS.”Gavin Kliger, Luke Farritor, Marko Elez and Jack SteinFounded Cathedral, a startup that plans to use AI to expand U.S. military cyber capabilities, including defenses against adversaries such as China.Reuters reported that the company raised $160 million at a $1.4 billion valuation.Ethan Shaotran: helped move thousands of immigrants into the government's “Master Death File,” effectively deactivating their Social Security numbers.Founded Blitz Industries, which he described to Wired as “a defense company backed by big names.”Elon Musk: SpaceX Achieves Its First Moon Landing by Accidentally Crashing Into It at 5,400 Miles Per Hour, Causing Huge Explosion and 60-Foot CraterWhy companies that call themselves meritocracies don't always pay equally AND Meritocracy claims make managers pay men more than equally qualified women MMExplicitly branding an organization a "meritocracy" lowers managers' vigilance against bias, ironically making them more likely to discriminate.Given identical job titles and performance ratings, managers in self-proclaimed meritocracies systematically award higher bonuses and raises to men over equally qualified women.The meritocracy illusion compounds wage gaps across demographics, yielding lower financial rewards for women, racial minorities, and immigrants with identical output.Vague definitions of "merit" allow supervisors to act on personal favorability and affinity bias while genuinely believing their choices are purely objective.Trusting the "meritocracy" label creates false complacency, leading companies to eliminate or skip active pay-equity audits that would otherwise catch these disparities.Goodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: Google Scraps AI Satellite Images Within 24 Hours: Why 'Deepfakes in the Sky' Alarmed ResearchersThis happened after facing fierce backlash from journalists, researchers, and open-source intelligence experts who warned that it could accelerate the spread of misinformation.The feature allowed users to generate AI-created satellite images by zooming into any location in Google Earth and entering a text prompt.MM: Courts: MM DRCourt rules against Trump EPA's freeze of $20B in ‘green bank' fundsUBS fined record $125 million for money laundering violationsMeta fined $567m in largest child safety ruling against social media giantJudge says Nexstar can't appoint its executives to TEGNA's Board of DirectorsAssholiest of the Week (MM):Everything's a publicity stunt:Jealously Watching OpenAI and Anthropic, Meta Suddenly Claims That Its AI Went on a Hacking Spree TooZuckerberg conveys ‘apologies' for child sex abuse material, errors in operating the platform, government sources say‘Pure insanity'—Elon Musk details SpaceX's plan to turn the moon into its newest manufacturing siteAnthropic's Mythos created fake identities to fool humans in new cyber incidentGAO finds Elon Musk's DOGE inflated claims of $110 billion in savings for federal governmentEverything's a vanity projectJeff Bezos Says He's Selling $1 Billion In Amazon Stock Every Year to Fund Blue Origin — ‘It's The Most Important Work I'm Doing'SpaceX Achieves Its First Moon Landing by Accidentally Crashing Into It at 5,400 Miles Per Hour, Causing Huge Explosion and 60-Foot CraterJudge Sets Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger Trial for MarchEveryone's a victimThe AI bros are lonelyPalantir CEO Alex Karp Says Frontier AI Labs Will Steal Your IP, Your Know-How, and Your Expertise — ‘You Deserve To Be Colonized'‘Socialism is a disaster': Bill Ackman says Zohran Mamdani's bad left-wing housing policy is worsening New York's affordability crisisNo one is accountable DRBobby Kotick, former CEO of Activision, may join Paramount's board of directorsJefferies analyst calls out ‘simple-minded' criticism of SpaceX's governanceABC, CBS, and NBC aired nearly 200 segments about three U.S. heat events without mentioning climate changeDisney (Iger, still), Ellison family, and Roberts family - one cowed exec, two dictators!Headliniest of the WeekDR: Pepsi is launching soda-scented body wash and scrub in a beauty collaborationPwC U.S. CEO [Paul Griggs] advises young workers to say yes a lot, even if it means working on the weekends—‘That person climbs into the next role'Top Consulting Group PwC Caught Using AI on “Thought Leadership” Report About AI, Resulting in Corporate Document Filled With Bizarre HallucinationsDoorDash CEO Tony Xu once thought his $87 billion company would only make $100 million. He tells founders to be ‘greedy' and dream biggerClass A = 1 vote; Class B = 20 votes; CEO Tony Xu personally owns roughly 3% of actual shares but controls 55% of voting power via a “binding agreement” with the other co-foundersMisleading proxy shows he got paid $432k (they cited a 12:1 pay ratio) but he actually made $343M from shares and stocksDoorDash excludes Dashers from SEC disclosures by classifying them as 1099 independent contractors.Factoring drivers into the worker pool expands the headcount from 20,000 to over 7 million, moving the median worker from corporate offices directly onto the delivery platform.Dasher: while gross pay averages ~$15–$22/hour, net driver earnings sink further after deducting out-of-pocket expenses like fuel, vehicle wear, and self-employment taxes, pulling true net median compensation closer to $400–$900 annuallyAnthropic CEO reportedly worried new hires only care about money: reportedly expressed concern about new talent coming to the company for the money rather than the missionMM: Stripe CEO says his ‘urgency' to drop out of MIT ‘was a bit unnecessary'Who Won the Week?DR: Harvard Business School graduates TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew and TikTok US CEO Adam Presser, because nobody ever talks about you or knows who you areMM: Meat. After seeing Salad and Go files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after cyclospora fears worsened its challenges, you can't help but wonder if RFK Jr orchestrated a parasite to get people to buy more meat.PredictionsDR: Tony Xu introduces Class F stock where shareholders' children enter indentured servitude and must deliver 1000 Cheesy Gordita Crunches from Taco Bell before they are set free ; they will then get 0.0002 shares per voteMM: Boards are calling retired CEOs back as succession pipelines run dry: Boards run out of ex-CEOs to re-king and begin looking for different, egalitarian, integrated professionals to fill new roles. They call it DEI.

"In my home country, they call me a 'bornfree'." Simukai Chigudu was born in Zimbabwe, two years after the end of its bitter war of liberation - a war in which his father had fought. This is the story of his childhood journey through the chaos of that new country's birth to Britain, where he arrived alone, a teenager, burning with ambition but utterly lost in ways he had yet even to discover. Told with astonishing insight, his memoir describes the drama of his quest to belong and to succeed, and how his worldview was both shaped and shattered by Britain, ultimately setting him on a quest to uncover the truth of his parents' past. In excavating their story alongside his own, he brings us closer than ever before to understanding one of the greatest upheavals in modern times - the freeing of a continent from colonial rule - not as history or politics but as a psychological and emotional force, one that divides families from within, even while those same divisions bind them fiercely together across time. Read the transcript here. Simukai Chigudu is Associate Professor of African Politics at the Oxford Department of International Development and Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford University. He is broadly interested in the politics of global health and epidemics, race and identity, citizenship and activist movements, with a regional focus on Africa and the African diaspora. Simukai is the author of The Political Life of an Epidemic: Cholera, Crisis and Citizenship in Zimbabwe (Cambridge University Press, 2020), an examination of the social and political causes and consequences of Zimbabwe's catastrophic cholera outbreak in 2008/09, the most extensive in African history. This monograph won the Theodore J. Lowi First Book Award from the American and International Political Science Associations. He has conducted research in Zimbabwe, Uganda, The Gambia, and Tanzania, and has publications in several leading social science and medical journals. Simukai has recently published his first book for the trade, Chasing Freedom: Coming of Age at the End of Empire, published by The Bodley Head and Crown in March 2026. This book combines memoir, political history and cultural criticism to show how colonialism continues to shape politics, society and culture in Africa and in Britain and to explore what it really means to decolonise. Prior to working in academia, Simukai was a medical doctor in the UK's National Health Service. He holds a DPhil in International Development from the Oxford University for which he was awarded the biennial Audrey Richards Prize for the best doctoral thesis in African Studies examined at a UK university. Simukai teaches on the MPhil in Development Studies and supervises DPhil students. Ayisha Osori is a lawyer and Director at Open Society Foundations Ideas Workshop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

"In my home country, they call me a 'bornfree'." Simukai Chigudu was born in Zimbabwe, two years after the end of its bitter war of liberation - a war in which his father had fought. This is the story of his childhood journey through the chaos of that new country's birth to Britain, where he arrived alone, a teenager, burning with ambition but utterly lost in ways he had yet even to discover. Told with astonishing insight, his memoir describes the drama of his quest to belong and to succeed, and how his worldview was both shaped and shattered by Britain, ultimately setting him on a quest to uncover the truth of his parents' past. In excavating their story alongside his own, he brings us closer than ever before to understanding one of the greatest upheavals in modern times - the freeing of a continent from colonial rule - not as history or politics but as a psychological and emotional force, one that divides families from within, even while those same divisions bind them fiercely together across time. Read the transcript here. Simukai Chigudu is Associate Professor of African Politics at the Oxford Department of International Development and Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford University. He is broadly interested in the politics of global health and epidemics, race and identity, citizenship and activist movements, with a regional focus on Africa and the African diaspora. Simukai is the author of The Political Life of an Epidemic: Cholera, Crisis and Citizenship in Zimbabwe (Cambridge University Press, 2020), an examination of the social and political causes and consequences of Zimbabwe's catastrophic cholera outbreak in 2008/09, the most extensive in African history. This monograph won the Theodore J. Lowi First Book Award from the American and International Political Science Associations. He has conducted research in Zimbabwe, Uganda, The Gambia, and Tanzania, and has publications in several leading social science and medical journals. Simukai has recently published his first book for the trade, Chasing Freedom: Coming of Age at the End of Empire, published by The Bodley Head and Crown in March 2026. This book combines memoir, political history and cultural criticism to show how colonialism continues to shape politics, society and culture in Africa and in Britain and to explore what it really means to decolonise. Prior to working in academia, Simukai was a medical doctor in the UK's National Health Service. He holds a DPhil in International Development from the Oxford University for which he was awarded the biennial Audrey Richards Prize for the best doctoral thesis in African Studies examined at a UK university. Simukai teaches on the MPhil in Development Studies and supervises DPhil students. Ayisha Osori is a lawyer and Director at Open Society Foundations Ideas Workshop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/african-studies

"In my home country, they call me a 'bornfree'." Simukai Chigudu was born in Zimbabwe, two years after the end of its bitter war of liberation - a war in which his father had fought. This is the story of his childhood journey through the chaos of that new country's birth to Britain, where he arrived alone, a teenager, burning with ambition but utterly lost in ways he had yet even to discover. Told with astonishing insight, his memoir describes the drama of his quest to belong and to succeed, and how his worldview was both shaped and shattered by Britain, ultimately setting him on a quest to uncover the truth of his parents' past. In excavating their story alongside his own, he brings us closer than ever before to understanding one of the greatest upheavals in modern times - the freeing of a continent from colonial rule - not as history or politics but as a psychological and emotional force, one that divides families from within, even while those same divisions bind them fiercely together across time. Read the transcript here. Simukai Chigudu is Associate Professor of African Politics at the Oxford Department of International Development and Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford University. He is broadly interested in the politics of global health and epidemics, race and identity, citizenship and activist movements, with a regional focus on Africa and the African diaspora. Simukai is the author of The Political Life of an Epidemic: Cholera, Crisis and Citizenship in Zimbabwe (Cambridge University Press, 2020), an examination of the social and political causes and consequences of Zimbabwe's catastrophic cholera outbreak in 2008/09, the most extensive in African history. This monograph won the Theodore J. Lowi First Book Award from the American and International Political Science Associations. He has conducted research in Zimbabwe, Uganda, The Gambia, and Tanzania, and has publications in several leading social science and medical journals. Simukai has recently published his first book for the trade, Chasing Freedom: Coming of Age at the End of Empire, published by The Bodley Head and Crown in March 2026. This book combines memoir, political history and cultural criticism to show how colonialism continues to shape politics, society and culture in Africa and in Britain and to explore what it really means to decolonise. Prior to working in academia, Simukai was a medical doctor in the UK's National Health Service. He holds a DPhil in International Development from the Oxford University for which he was awarded the biennial Audrey Richards Prize for the best doctoral thesis in African Studies examined at a UK university. Simukai teaches on the MPhil in Development Studies and supervises DPhil students. Ayisha Osori is a lawyer and Director at Open Society Foundations Ideas Workshop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biography

"In my home country, they call me a 'bornfree'." Simukai Chigudu was born in Zimbabwe, two years after the end of its bitter war of liberation - a war in which his father had fought. This is the story of his childhood journey through the chaos of that new country's birth to Britain, where he arrived alone, a teenager, burning with ambition but utterly lost in ways he had yet even to discover. Told with astonishing insight, his memoir describes the drama of his quest to belong and to succeed, and how his worldview was both shaped and shattered by Britain, ultimately setting him on a quest to uncover the truth of his parents' past. In excavating their story alongside his own, he brings us closer than ever before to understanding one of the greatest upheavals in modern times - the freeing of a continent from colonial rule - not as history or politics but as a psychological and emotional force, one that divides families from within, even while those same divisions bind them fiercely together across time. Read the transcript here. Simukai Chigudu is Associate Professor of African Politics at the Oxford Department of International Development and Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford University. He is broadly interested in the politics of global health and epidemics, race and identity, citizenship and activist movements, with a regional focus on Africa and the African diaspora. Simukai is the author of The Political Life of an Epidemic: Cholera, Crisis and Citizenship in Zimbabwe (Cambridge University Press, 2020), an examination of the social and political causes and consequences of Zimbabwe's catastrophic cholera outbreak in 2008/09, the most extensive in African history. This monograph won the Theodore J. Lowi First Book Award from the American and International Political Science Associations. He has conducted research in Zimbabwe, Uganda, The Gambia, and Tanzania, and has publications in several leading social science and medical journals. Simukai has recently published his first book for the trade, Chasing Freedom: Coming of Age at the End of Empire, published by The Bodley Head and Crown in March 2026. This book combines memoir, political history and cultural criticism to show how colonialism continues to shape politics, society and culture in Africa and in Britain and to explore what it really means to decolonise. Prior to working in academia, Simukai was a medical doctor in the UK's National Health Service. He holds a DPhil in International Development from the Oxford University for which he was awarded the biennial Audrey Richards Prize for the best doctoral thesis in African Studies examined at a UK university. Simukai teaches on the MPhil in Development Studies and supervises DPhil students. Ayisha Osori is a lawyer and Director at Open Society Foundations Ideas Workshop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics

"In my home country, they call me a 'bornfree'." Simukai Chigudu was born in Zimbabwe, two years after the end of its bitter war of liberation - a war in which his father had fought. This is the story of his childhood journey through the chaos of that new country's birth to Britain, where he arrived alone, a teenager, burning with ambition but utterly lost in ways he had yet even to discover. Told with astonishing insight, his memoir describes the drama of his quest to belong and to succeed, and how his worldview was both shaped and shattered by Britain, ultimately setting him on a quest to uncover the truth of his parents' past. In excavating their story alongside his own, he brings us closer than ever before to understanding one of the greatest upheavals in modern times - the freeing of a continent from colonial rule - not as history or politics but as a psychological and emotional force, one that divides families from within, even while those same divisions bind them fiercely together across time. Read the transcript here. Simukai Chigudu is Associate Professor of African Politics at the Oxford Department of International Development and Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford University. He is broadly interested in the politics of global health and epidemics, race and identity, citizenship and activist movements, with a regional focus on Africa and the African diaspora. Simukai is the author of The Political Life of an Epidemic: Cholera, Crisis and Citizenship in Zimbabwe (Cambridge University Press, 2020), an examination of the social and political causes and consequences of Zimbabwe's catastrophic cholera outbreak in 2008/09, the most extensive in African history. This monograph won the Theodore J. Lowi First Book Award from the American and International Political Science Associations. He has conducted research in Zimbabwe, Uganda, The Gambia, and Tanzania, and has publications in several leading social science and medical journals. Simukai has recently published his first book for the trade, Chasing Freedom: Coming of Age at the End of Empire, published by The Bodley Head and Crown in March 2026. This book combines memoir, political history and cultural criticism to show how colonialism continues to shape politics, society and culture in Africa and in Britain and to explore what it really means to decolonise. Prior to working in academia, Simukai was a medical doctor in the UK's National Health Service. He holds a DPhil in International Development from the Oxford University for which he was awarded the biennial Audrey Richards Prize for the best doctoral thesis in African Studies examined at a UK university. Simukai teaches on the MPhil in Development Studies and supervises DPhil students. Ayisha Osori is a lawyer and Director at Open Society Foundations Ideas Workshop. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/british-studies

Nosipho Radebe speaks to Mpho Mokwele, Group Executive: Transacting at Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Be sure to check out the grand finale of our Eco-Justice and Climate Action Mini Series! Throughout the last few months, we've explored everything from outdoor education in Canada, to a global storytelling initiative, to resilience building in coastal island communities, and more. Today, Joe and Blane explore the story behind “Crystallizing Territorial Visions and Claims: Critical Mapping with Amazonian Kichwa Communities in Climate Change. We are joined by authors Anke and Maritza, and co-investigator, Bequer Tuanama, from San Martin, Peru. The interview is bilingual, Spanish and English, with translations. The episode is full of meaningful reflections, candid anecdotes about the process, and a deeper look at their research project. Enjoy!The team begins by tracing how the partnership with Kichwa communities in San Martin, Peru came into being, and was built from existing relationships [3:13]. This leads into a discussion of critical mapping itself, and how a participatory research tool gradually became something more [5:57], providing a space for collective reflection, negotiation, and the reimagining of territorial claims in the face of state-led conservation efforts. The power dynamics involved and their negotiations are very insightful [10:32]. Afterwards, the team walks us through what the mapping process actually looked like, and the connection between mapping territory and climate action, using stories, timelines, and imagery of non-human beings which were included, beyond geographic boundaries [14:00]. The team then shares some of emergent practises from collaborating with a diverse group of collaborators on the project, including different layers of knowledge on map, as well as a vision for the territory in the future, along with practical challenges of the logistics of budgeting, transportation, bringing in elders and women, and providing an intercultural approach to the work [22:56]. The episode closes with learning and outcomes from the project, from the universities changing their approach to action research and impact, how mapping is an important tool of dialogue and collaboration across different sectors, bringing women's voice to the forefront, and engaging different levels, particularly for communicating with the state [35:04].Thank you Anke, Maritza, and Bequer for sharing your work with us in this episode.Thank you to our listeners for tuning in to this episode of the Action Research Podcast, created by Joe Levitan, Adam Stieglitz, Shikha Diwakar, Cory Legassic, and Vanessa Gold.Produced by Shikha Diwakar and Vanja Lugonjic.Subscribe to our podcast on most major podcast distribution platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.How have you found yourself in the world of action research? Want to be interviewed or share one of your projects? Get in touch with us.Photo Credit: https://www.machu-picchu.org/location/Resources: Exhibition Blog PostMaps Atlas of Critical Mapping in Latin America Biographies: Anke Kaulard holds a PhD in sociology and teaches in the Department of Social Sciences at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP) and currently at the University of Cologne. She is a former fellow of the trAndeS program (PUCP/FU Berlin) with a focus on inequalities and sustainable development in the Andean region, interested in political economy and ecology. She is a researcher in the action-research project: “Indigenous Visions for Climate Justice” (PUCP/University Diego Portales/TNC, funded by IDRC) and in the project: “Beyond Certification. From voluntary sustainability standards to sector transformation” (PUCP/University of Melbourne). Since 2003 she has been working in action-research, previously in development cooperation projects in the Andean region, Mozambique and Jordan. She works with producer associations and Indigenous Peoples of the Amazon to make visible their demands for climate, economic and social justice.Maritza Paredes is a Full Professor, and Researcher in the Department of Social Sciences, Sociology Section, at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. Her expertise lies in political sociology and environmental sociology. Paredes has extensively studied the impacts of extractive industries on the institutions and environmental justice of local communities and indigenous peoples, as well as the effects of climate policies at the local level, particularly among indigenous communities in the Amazon. She obtained her PhD in International Development from the University of Oxford in the UK and a Master's Degree from Columbia University in the USA.Bequer Tuanama Lumba is a Kichwa leader from the community of Kawana Sisa in San Martin, Peru. He served as apu of his community in 2008 and later contributed to the creation of the Kichwa Huallaga Dorado Federation (FEKIHD), which he chaired from two terms starting in 2016. Certified as a professional technician in 2023, he worked as a territorial researcher in the project: "Indigenous Visions for Climate Justice" and made significant contributions to the co-creation of the "Buen Mapeo" process in San Martin.-- This episode is part of our Eco-justice and Climate Action Series. Authors from journal articles in a Special Issue of the Canadian Journal for Action Research hop behind the mic and share the inspirations, process, and findings from their projects. Join Joe Levitan, Shikha Diwakar and special guest host Blane Harvey, as they interview an inspiring group of researchers, educators, organizers, and more, navigating the process of action research.

This is in Cambodia when kids are seeing water come out of the ground for the first time in their lives. Also in Cambodia.这是在柬埔寨，孩子们有生以来第一次看到水从地下冒出来。这还是在柬埔寨。This is in Indonesia where women who were watching their kids suffer from malnutrition.这是在印度尼西亚，妇女眼睁睁看着自己的孩子饱受营养不良之苦。These are salt workers which is one of the toughest jobs and it mostly is done by young girls and women.这些是盐工，这是最艰苦的工作之一，主要由年轻女孩和妇女完成。And I was with them, you know, with a health organization because the salt takes a terrible toll on their little bodies.我当时和她们在一起，和一个健康组织一起，因为盐对他们幼小的身体造成了严重的伤害。Annie Griffiths has thousands of photographs she has taken all around the world, one of the first female photographers at the famous national Geographic magazine.安妮·格里菲思在世界各地拍摄了数千张照片，是著名的《国家地理》杂志首批女摄影师之一。In the span of 45 years, she has traveled to over 150 countries and all seven continents.在45年的时间里，她去过150多个国家，足迹遍布七大洲。I've always felt that being a woman was an advantage in my job, both initially getting into photo journalism, and then recognizing that I had half the world pretty much to myself.我一直觉得，作为女性在我的工作中是一种优势，无论是最初进入新闻摄影领域，还是后来意识到我几乎独享了半个世界。I spent about five years doing projects in the Middle East, and many parts of the Middle East and many aspects of their culture are gender separate.我花了大约五年时间在中东做项目，中东的许多地区及其文化的许多方面都是性别分离的。I think that is judged often by the western world, but there again is an opportunity to actually look at it from the women's point of view.我认为西方世界常常对此作出评判，但实际上这也是一个从女性视角去看待它的机会。The women caught by Griffiths' camera survived natural disasters and migrations, discrimination, war, epidemics and famine.格里菲斯镜头捕捉到的这些女性经历了自然灾害、迁徙、歧视、战争、流行病和饥荒后幸存了下来。But she says despite it all, they keep the traditions alive, raise children,grieveand just leave.但她说，尽管经历了这一切，他们依然让传统得以延续，养育子女，承受悲伤，然后悄然离去。So the stories I focus on are where women have found solutions.我关注的故事是女性找到解决办法的地方。It's usually because they come together as a group, and as a group they figure out how to do something better.通常是因为他们以团队形式聚集在一起，并且作为一个团队，他们共同想出如何把事情做得更好。They're the ones planting millions of trees. They're the ones who are you know staying till the last minute after the men leave, and then shepherding their children and sometimes their parents.她们种植了数百万棵树。她们会在男人离开后，一直坚守到最后一刻，照顾她们的孩子，有时也照顾她们的父母。She believes women don't like being victims, and remain hopeful in the grimmest of circumstances.她认为女性不喜欢成为受害者，并且在最严峻的情况下仍保持着希望。And that was the reason why Griffiths decided to found the charity projectRippleEffect Images that founds programs for women in developing countries.这就是格里菲思决定创办慈善项目“RippleEffect Images”的原因，该项目旨在为发展中国家的女性设立各类援助计划。The idea came to her nine years ago when Griffiths saw the data from the United States Agency for International Development on humanitarian aid.九年前，当格里菲思看到美国国际开发署有关人道主义援助的数据时，这个想法便在她脑海中萌生了。Two cents out of every American aid dollar went to programs for women, so 98 went to men's programs.每1美元美国援助资金中，只有2美分用于女性项目，其余98美分则用于男性项目。So I literally called my girl friends who are some of the best photographers in the world, and said, "Look, why don't we learn from the women we observe in the wider world?"我打电话给我那些身为世界顶级摄影师的女性朋友们，然后说：“我们为什么不从在更广阔世界中观察到的女性身上学习呢？”They reported raising over 10 million dollars just in those first six years. So it works you know when you humanize a situation.她们报告说仅仅在最初的六年里就筹集了超过1000万美元。当你将情况人性化处理时，这是行得通的。So you don't talk about the women of Morocco. You show a woman from Morocco and you see the light in her eyes.你不用去谈论摩洛哥的女性，你只要展示一位摩洛哥女性，然后你就能看到她眼中的光芒。But work is not all Griffiths focuses on. She is the mother of two children, and from the very start she promised herself to never part with them for more than two weeks.但工作并非格里菲斯生活的全部。她已是两个孩子的母亲，从最初她就向自己承诺，绝不与孩子们分开超过两周。Most of her work trips with National Geographic lasted at least three months.她在《国家地理》工作时的大部分行程至少持续了三个月。So like their mother, Griffiths's children saw dozens of countries and met thousands of people.像他们的母亲一样，格里菲思的孩子们游览了几十个国家，结识了成千上万的人。I've been traveling with my mom since I was just in her belly, so we've picked up a few stories over the years.从我还在妈妈肚子里的时候起，我就和她一起旅行了，这些年来我们积累了不少故事。We've been to some really remarkable places, feel real highlights over the years.这些年来，我们去过一些非常了不起的地方，真切地感受到了那些精彩时刻。I think that the Middle East is always gonna be really special to me.我觉得中东对我来说永远都会非常特别。In 2008, Griffiths published a book of photo memoirs called A Camera, Two Kids and a Camel that focused on how to reach harmony between work, family and the whole wide world.2008年，格里菲思出版了一本名为A Camera, Two Kids and a Camel的摄影回忆录，该书聚焦于如何在工作、家庭和整个世界之间达成和谐。

On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Jerry Glover, a Distinguished Fellow at the Food Security Leadership Council for Part 5 of Food Tank's series exploring the far-reaching impacts of dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development. They discuss how the agency supported agricultural research and development, why this mattered in the U.S. and abroad, and filling the vacuum left by USAID's closure. Plus, a record number of schools use a federal meal service option to tackle child hunger, what's missing from the conversation on the cyclospora outbreak, extreme heat dries Europe's farmland, and a new study reveals that restoring soils by just 10 percent offers major benefits to crop yields. While you're listening, subscribe, rate, and review the show; it would mean the world to us to have your feedback. You can listen to "Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg" wherever you consume your podcasts.

U.S. House Candidate, retired US Marine, and former police officer David Burck is scheduled to take a short break from the campaign trail to discuss President Trump's primetime election integrity speech and how concerned we should be about election security this year. (And yeah, we'll talk about the campaign too.)As the U.S.-Iran conflict intensifies with renewed military strikes and rising concerns over the security of the Strait of Hormuz, retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel William "Burner" Dunn is scheduled to join me once more to provide expert analysis on the evolving crisis. The latest escalation has heightened fears of a broader regional conflict, disrupted global energy markets, and increased concerns about U.S. military operations and regional stability.As the Trump administration rolls out bilateral health partnerships with dozens of countries under its America First Global Health Strategy, it is doing more than restructuring foreign assistance. It is replacing a decades-old model that too often exported ideology instead of improving health. Dr. Alma Golden, a pediatrician, public health expert, and former Senate-confirmed Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Global Health at the U.S. Agency for International Development, she has also served as as Deputy Assistant Secretary and Director of the Office of Population Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under President George W. Bush and most recently, as Chief Operating Officer of the Institute for Women's Health, where she helped advance evidence-based policies and programs to improve the health and well-being of women and girls around the world. Dr. Golden is scheduled to join me to discuss how the Trump administration is putting women's health ahead of politics.David Burck: https://davidburck.com/Col. William "Burner" Dunn: https://colonelwilliamdunn.com/homeGunfighters Rule!: https://amzn.to/4oRTauOThe Institute for Women's Health: https://www.theiwh.org/Dr. Alma Golden: https://www.theiwh.org/who-we-are/#leadershipTapper on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0AArwj5iTabIXYsSKIxNakBecome a supporter of Tapp into the Truth: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tapp-into-the-truth--556114/supportAimee's Audios Subliminal Acoustic Fingerprinting: https://www.aimeesaudios.com/If recent events have proven anything, you need to be as prepared as possible for when things go sideways. You certainly can't count on the government for help. True liberty requires self-reliance. Let My Patriot Supply help you be prepared. My Patriot Supply: https://www.mypatriotsupply.com/?_ef_transaction_id=&oid=1&affid=84Support American jobs! Get great products! Some are now at wholesale prices. Go to My Pillow and use promo code TAPP to save! https://www.mypillow.com/tappVisit Patriot Mobile or Call (817) 380-9081 to take advantage of a FREE Month of service when you switch using promo code TAPP! https://patriotmobile.com/tappChuck Norris is no longer with us, but you can honor the man he was and be as active and healthy as he was until his passing. How? By adding Morning Kick to your daily routine. Morning Kick is a revolutionary new daily drink that combines ultra-potent greens like spirulina and kale with probiotics, prebiotics, collagen, and even ashwagandha. Plus, every purchase is backed by a 90-day money-back guarantee: https://chuckdefense.com/tapp"Remember Pop Rocks? Now, imagine they gave you superpowers."Please let me introduce you to Energy Rocks! Born from the grit and ambition of a competitive athlete who wanted a better, cleaner way to fuel the body and mind, without the hassle of mixing powders, messy bottles, or caffeine crashes. Energy Rocks is a reimagining of energy into something fun, functional, and fantastically effective. A delicious popping candy energy supplement that delivers a rapid boost of clean energy and focus — anytime, anywhere. No water. No mixing. No bulky bottles. Just open, pop it in your mouth, and get ready to rock. Making any time the right time to "Get in the Zone, One Pop at a Time." https://energyrocks.store/products/cherry-berry?sca_ref=8856032.9eONVDNSeb4ez73FFollow Tapp into the Truth on Locals Follow Tapp into the Truth on SubstackHero SoapBlue CoolersKoa CoffeeBrainMDDiamond CBDSauce Bae2nd SkullEinstokBeanstoxBelle IsleHoneyFund"Homegrown" Boone's BourbonBlackout Coffee Co.Full Circle Brewing Co.Pasmosa Sangria   

In this episode of The Curious Realm, host Christopher Jordan welcomes UFO disclosure advocate, and founder of Paradigm Research Group, Stephen Bassett. We discuss Stephen's ongoing decades-long efforts in Washington, DC to bring the topic of UFO disclosure to the forefront of conversations on Capitol Hill, as well as what the future holds for the topic now that whistleblower hearings are happening, and trickles of declassified data have begun to flow. Is this the disclosure we have long been looking for, is it a distraction technique by shadowy agencies, or is it only the beginning of something much larger?! In the second part of the episode, we welcome Bob Spearing, Director of International Development for MUFON, the Mutual UFO Network. We discuss some of the many interesting cases that have crossed his desk this year, as well as some of the “Cases of Interest” that he will be presenting at the 2026 MUFON Symposium in Convington Kentucky August 27-30. Join the Curious Realm as we delve into the topics of UFO Disclosure with Stephen Bassett of Paradigm Research Group and MUFON Cases of Interest with Bob Spearing. Curious Realm is proudly distributed by: Ground Zero Media, APRTV and the official Curious Realm ROKU App! Curious Realm has teamed up with True Hemp Science, Austin, TX based suppliers of high-quality full spectrum emulsified CBD products and more. Visit TrueHempScience.com TODAY and use code Curious7 to save 7% off your order of $50 or more and get a free 50mg CBD edible! Intro music “A Curious Realm” provided by No Disassemble find more great music and content at: NoDisassemble.com.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/curious-realm--5254986/support.

In this episode of The Curious Realm, host Christopher Jordan welcomes UFO disclosure advocate, and founder of Paradigm Research Group, Stephen Bassett. We discuss Stephen's ongoing decades-long efforts in Washington, DC to bring the topic of UFO disclosure to the forefront of conversations on Capitol Hill, as well as what the future holds for the topic now that whistleblower hearings are happening, and trickles of declassified data have begun to flow. Is this the disclosure we have long been looking for, is it a distraction technique by shadowy agencies, or is it only the beginning of something much larger?! In the second part of the episode, we welcome Bob Spearing, Director of International Development for MUFON, the Mutual UFO Network. We discuss some of the many interesting cases that have crossed his desk this year, as well as some of the “Cases of Interest” that he will be presenting at the 2026 MUFON Symposium in Convington Kentucky August 27-30. Join the Curious Realm as we delve into the topics of UFO Disclosure with Stephen Bassett of Paradigm Research Group and MUFON Cases of Interest with Bob Spearing. Curious Realm is proudly distributed by: Ground Zero Media, APRTV and the official Curious Realm ROKU App! Curious Realm has teamed up with True Hemp Science, Austin, TX based suppliers of high-quality full spectrum emulsified CBD products and more. Visit TrueHempScience.com TODAY and use code Curious7 to save 7% off your order of $50 or more and get a free 50mg CBD edible! Intro music “A Curious Realm” provided by No Disassemble find more great music and content at: NoDisassemble.com.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/curious-realm--5254986/support.

U.S. foreign aid advocacy groups are soul-searching in the wake of the Trump administration's dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development and deep cuts to U.S. foreign assistance. Bipartisan support for U.S. aid programs crumbled quickly in the face of Elon Musk's attack on the agency via the Department of Government Efficiency, and USAID's legacy is now viewed through a starkly polarized political lens. In the aftermath of that collapse, advocacy organizations are trying to regain their footing — including by hiring conservative political veterans into key roles. Jim Richardson, a longtime congressional staffer and former aide to Mike Pompeo, coordinated one of the largest reorganization efforts in USAID's history during Trump's first term. He recently joined the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition — one of the most influential “soft power” advocacy groups in Washington, D.C. — as national outreach director. He joined the Theory of Change podcast to discuss the future of U.S. development advocacy — and what it will take to rebuild support for aid programs. "We have to really go back to the basics,” he said. “Where does the U.S. government have a comparative advantage? What does the power of international assistance do? What can it do?”

In this episode of the Oxford Policy Pod, Belén Tomic sits down with Dr. Belén Villegas Plá and Dr. Rossella Ciccia to talk about care, its many forms, and who bears its weight.Belén Villegas Plá is Lecturer in the Political Economy of Latin America at the Oxford Department of International Development, and Rossella Ciccia is Associate Professor of Social Policy at the Oxford Department of Social Policy and Intervention.Together, they explore how and why care has become such a politically salient issue over the past decade, the role feminist movements have played in putting it on the agenda in Latin America, and why the region has become such an important space for these discussions. The conversation also examines the challenges of turning care demands into lasting policy where social protection is fragmented and state capacity is limited.Drawing on both Latin American and European experiences, Belén and Rossella reflect on what a caring society would look like, what it would take to treat care as a shared social responsibility rather than a private burden carried disproportionately by women, and why redistributing unpaid care work remains one of the defining challenges of contemporary social policy.

Global health is entering a period of profound upheaval. As governments reassess foreign aid, donors rethink decades-old models, and African leaders push for greater ownership of their health systems, one question looms over the sector: Who should hold the power to shape global health? Dr. Ebere Okereke is a prominent voice in that conversation. She joins Theory of Change for a wide-ranging conversation with Devex Senior Reporter Michael Igoe about the risks and opportunities of this massive global health shakeup. "Everything's about power. Everything is about politics. But it's also about understanding what power you have," Okereke says. She reflects on the consequences of the dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the rise of bilateral health agreements, the promise of the Accra Reset, and why African governments must play a far greater role in defining and financing their own priorities. At the same time — with disease outbreaks still testing national response systems — she cautions against retreating from global collaboration, arguing instead for a model that is "locally owned, regionally anchored, but remain[s] part of a global architecture."

Rural Health News is a weekly segment of Rural Health Today, a podcast by Hillsdale Hospital. News sources for this episode:  Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform, “Stopping the Loss of Rural Maternity Care,” June 2026, https://chqpr.org/downloads/Rural_Maternity_Care_Crisis.pdf. Stephanie Armour, “New Disease Threats Follow Trump Administration's Health Program Cuts,” July 2, 2026, https://kffhealthnews.org/public-health/new-disease-threats-follow-trump-administrations-health-program-cuts/, KFF Health News. Grace van Deelen, “Trump Administration to Remove Hundreds of Deep-Ocean Observation Instruments, Dismantling $368 Million Program,” June 3, 2026, https://eos.org/research-and-developments/trump-administration-to-remove-hundreds-of-deep-ocean-observation-instruments-dismantling-368-million-program, Eos. U.S. Department of Agriculture, “USDA Confirms Presence of New World Screwworm in the United States,” June 3, 2026, https://www.aphis.usda.gov/news/agency-announcements/usda-confirms-presence-new-world-screwworm-united-states.  Nikhil Ranadive, M.D. Et al., “CDC Operational Guidance for Investigating Locally Acquired Mosquito-Transmitted Malaria,” May 21, 2026, https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/75/rr/rr7501a1.htm.  Sarah J. Topping, “Statement from the Southampton Town Trustees Regarding Vibrio Vulnificus,” April 23, 2026, https://www.southamptontownny.gov/DocumentCenter/View/46859/04-23-2026-Trustees-Press-Release---Statement-from-the-Southampton-Town-Trustees-Regarding-Vibrio-vulnificus, Town of Southampton Board of Trustees. Rick Mayer, “Florida is up to eight cases of Vibrio vulnificus – so-called 'flesh-eating bacteria' – in 2026,” June 12, 2026, https://www.wusf.org/health-news-florida/2026-06-12/florida-is-up-to-eight-cases-of-vibrio-vulnificus-so-called-flesh-eating-bacteria-in-2026, WUSF.  Amy Maxmen, “‘We Live With Fear': In Congo, Doctors Face Ebola With Little Protection,” June 5, 2026, https://kffhealthnews.org/public-health/ebola-congo-virus-outbreak-drc-africa-health-workers-bundibugyo/, KFF Health News. U.S. Agency for International Development, https://oig.usaid.gov/. Molly Castle Work, “Minnesota's ‘sprint medic' pilot program aims to get paramedics to rural emergencies faster,” July 1, 2026, https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/06/30/minnesotas-sprint-medic-pilot-program-aims-to-get-paramedics-to-rural-emergencies-faster, Minnesota Public Radio News. Rural Health Today is a production of Hillsdale Hospital in Hillsdale, Michigan and a member of the Health Podcast Network. Our host is JJ Hodshire, our producer is Kyrsten Newlon, and our audio engineer is Kenji Ulmer. Special thanks to our special guests for sharing their expertise on the show, and also to the Hillsdale Hospital marketing team. If you want to submit a question for us to answer on the podcast or learn more about Rural Health Today, visit ruralhealthtoday.com.

Often the news covers crises without context. That's especially true when it comes to coverage of the Global South in international media.  Our guest this episode, journalist and documentary filmmaker Etant Dupain, gives us a behind-the-headlines look at events in Haiti, his home country. Dupain says that the gangs who control much of the country now are supported by powerful elites. Their aim, his says, is to suppress a grassroots protest movement that is calling for accountability for the embezzlement of billions of dollars in development funds.  Dupain's documentary film, The Fight for Haiti, tells the story of the Haitian movement against corruption and impunity, which started with a tweet and at its height had hundreds of thousands in the street. This episode was first recorded in February 2025, and has been updated.  In this episode, you'll learn about The problematic history of foreign aid in Haiti including the aftermath of the the 2010 earthquake The Petrocaribe agreement with Venezuela that was supposed to fund crucial infrastructure projects in Haiti Creative tactics activists used to demand accountability Who profits when gangs overtake a country What the end of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians in the United States could mean for Haiti's future Watch a trailer and learn more about the film and the movement at thefightforhaiti.com. Want to host a screening? Email info@thefightforhaiti.com.  Protest audio used in the episode is from the film The Fight for Haiti, used with permission. Other music in this episode by Xylo-Ziko, Toby Tranter, and Reed Mathis.  ABOUT THE SHOW The Making Peace Visible podcast is hosted by Jamil Simon and produced by Andrea Muraskin. The associate producer and graphic designer is Faith McClure. Learn more at makingpeacevisible.orgSupport our workConnect on social:Instagram @makingpeacevisibleYouTube @makingpeacevisibleLinkedIn @makingpeacevisibleBluesky @makingpeacevisible.bsky.socialMaking Peace Visible is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts dedicated to creating a more informed, civically engaged electorate.We want to learn more about our listeners. Take this 3-minute survey to help us improve the show!

A new study is taking a close look at what happened to the workforce after the closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development, tracking the effects on jobs, finances and health. It offers one of the first large-scale pictures of how that loss of mission played out for employees and their families. Here to share her research findings and recommendations is former USAID foreign service officer, Jamie Oberlander.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Five years on from the merger of the Foreign Office and the Department for International Development, this is a pivotal moment for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The government is managing the reduction in the international aid budget, the department is undergoing a major restructuring, and its permanent secretary was sacked by the prime minister. With fewer resources, evolving security threats and diplomatic challenges, the government should be seizing this moment to integrate diplomacy and development. Recent research from the HALO Trust and the Eleanor Crook Foundation has shown how modern conflict is increasingly interconnected with challenges such as food security and malnutrition – and that unless these and other pressures are addressed in a genuinely joined‑up way, the UK risks operating in siloes. But how joined up is diplomacy and development, and can the department both retain its leadership role in international development and protect the UK's national interest? How should the Foreign Office approach these challenges when staff numbers are falling and its budget is shrinking? What principles should guide the merged department through this time of change? And what is the government's overall approach to UK foreign policy and development and how is it seeking to achieve it aims? Drawing on the IfG's existing and ongoing research and commentary on the FCDO and its predecessors, and a series of previous successful events on similar themes, this event explored these questions and more with an expert panel featuring: Major General James Cowan CBE DSO, Chief Executive Officer of the HALO Trust Stefan Dercon, Professor of Economic Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government Ben Judah, Writer, and Visiting Fellow at Chatham House Dame Emily Thornberry MP, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee This event was chaired by Hannah Keenan, Associate Director at the Institute for Government and there were opening remarks from Gemma Tumelty, Director of UK Advocacy at the Eleanor Crook Foundation. We would like to thank the HALO Trust and the Eleanor Crook Foundation for kindly supporting this event.

Why has the Catholic Church in India become so engaged in environmental initiatives? And what does the wider Indian political context defined by an assertive Hindu nationalism mean for the ability of church actors to pursue environmental agendas? In this episode, we are joined by Kenneth Bo Nielsen and Nihar Gokhale who have examined these questions in the Indian state of Goa, focusing on church activities and outreach in the domain of sustainable agriculture and agroecology. You can read more about their research on the relationship between Christian environmentalism, agroecology and the rise of Hindu majoritarianism in the edited volume Religion and Ecological Crisis: Responses from Asia, published by Leiden University Press. Kenneth Bo Nielsen is a Social Anthropologist at the University of Oslo in Norway. Nihar Gokhale is a DPhil student in International Development at the Oxford Department of International Development. Mette Halskov Hansen, your host, is a Professor of China Studies at the University of Oslo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Why has the Catholic Church in India become so engaged in environmental initiatives? And what does the wider Indian political context defined by an assertive Hindu nationalism mean for the ability of church actors to pursue environmental agendas? In this episode, we are joined by Kenneth Bo Nielsen and Nihar Gokhale who have examined these questions in the Indian state of Goa, focusing on church activities and outreach in the domain of sustainable agriculture and agroecology. You can read more about their research on the relationship between Christian environmentalism, agroecology and the rise of Hindu majoritarianism in the edited volume Religion and Ecological Crisis: Responses from Asia, published by Leiden University Press. Kenneth Bo Nielsen is a Social Anthropologist at the University of Oslo in Norway. Nihar Gokhale is a DPhil student in International Development at the Oxford Department of International Development. Mette Halskov Hansen, your host, is a Professor of China Studies at the University of Oslo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/environmental-studies

Why has the Catholic Church in India become so engaged in environmental initiatives? And what does the wider Indian political context defined by an assertive Hindu nationalism mean for the ability of church actors to pursue environmental agendas? In this episode, we are joined by Kenneth Bo Nielsen and Nihar Gokhale who have examined these questions in the Indian state of Goa, focusing on church activities and outreach in the domain of sustainable agriculture and agroecology. You can read more about their research on the relationship between Christian environmentalism, agroecology and the rise of Hindu majoritarianism in the edited volume Religion and Ecological Crisis: Responses from Asia, published by Leiden University Press. Kenneth Bo Nielsen is a Social Anthropologist at the University of Oslo in Norway. Nihar Gokhale is a DPhil student in International Development at the Oxford Department of International Development. Mette Halskov Hansen, your host, is a Professor of China Studies at the University of Oslo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/south-asian-studies

Why has the Catholic Church in India become so engaged in environmental initiatives? And what does the wider Indian political context defined by an assertive Hindu nationalism mean for the ability of church actors to pursue environmental agendas? In this episode, we are joined by Kenneth Bo Nielsen and Nihar Gokhale who have examined these questions in the Indian state of Goa, focusing on church activities and outreach in the domain of sustainable agriculture and agroecology. You can read more about their research on the relationship between Christian environmentalism, agroecology and the rise of Hindu majoritarianism in the edited volume Religion and Ecological Crisis: Responses from Asia, published by Leiden University Press. Kenneth Bo Nielsen is a Social Anthropologist at the University of Oslo in Norway. Nihar Gokhale is a DPhil student in International Development at the Oxford Department of International Development. Mette Halskov Hansen, your host, is a Professor of China Studies at the University of Oslo.

Why has the Catholic Church in India become so engaged in environmental initiatives? And what does the wider Indian political context defined by an assertive Hindu nationalism mean for the ability of church actors to pursue environmental agendas? In this episode, we are joined by Kenneth Bo Nielsen and Nihar Gokhale who have examined these questions in the Indian state of Goa, focusing on church activities and outreach in the domain of sustainable agriculture and agroecology. You can read more about their research on the relationship between Christian environmentalism, agroecology and the rise of Hindu majoritarianism in the edited volume Religion and Ecological Crisis: Responses from Asia, published by Leiden University Press. Kenneth Bo Nielsen is a Social Anthropologist at the University of Oslo in Norway. Nihar Gokhale is a DPhil student in International Development at the Oxford Department of International Development. Mette Halskov Hansen, your host, is a Professor of China Studies at the University of Oslo. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/indian-religions

On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Patrick Webb, a Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, and Caitlin Grady, Associate Professor and Director of Research and Policy at the Global Food Institute at the George Washington University, for Part 4 of Food Tank's series exploring the far-reaching impacts of dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development. They discuss what the loss of USAID means for global food and nutrition security, the disappearance of institutional memory, and how we get back to a place where we once again embrace science.  While you're listening, subscribe, rate, and review the show; it would mean the world to us to have your feedback. You can listen to "Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg" wherever you consume your podcasts.

I sat down with Ranya Nehmeh, HR strategist, professor, and author of In Praise of the Office. Our conversation reinforced what I've been hearing from many clients lately. HR today isn't just policies or processes. -It's culture. -It's learning. -It's how people actually develop in a distributed world. HR is a strategy now -Culture, development, and psychological safety—all part of the role. The hybrid has to be designed -Onboarding, mentoring, and collaboration don't happen by default. If people come in only to sit on Zoom, something's off. Leaders set the tone -Presence, learning, and collaboration follow what leaders model. When work is designed with care, people feel it. And when people feel it, they show up differently. And that's where great work starts— and where retention improves as people choose to stay. --- Dr. Ranya Nehmeh is a people and talent management expert, future of work advocate, author, and adjunct university professor. With over 20 years of experience across both the private and public sectors, she has worked at the intersection of strategy, leadership, and human capital. Ranya began her career at a public relations speaker bureau in London before joining a global telecommunications company. She then moved into senior HR roles within international financial institutions, including the European Central Bank in Frankfurt and the OPEC Fund for International Development in Vienna. She has led projects related to talent management, internal talent marketplaces, strategic workforce planning, and leadership development, among other initiatives. She is the co-author of In Praise of the Office: The Limits to Hybrid and Remote Work (Wharton School Press, 2025) and author of The CHAMELEON Leader: Connecting with Millennials (2019). Her work explores how organizations can create more human-centered, agile, and sustainable workplaces. Ranya is also a frequent contributor to leading journals and publications. Her most recent articles appeared in the Harvard Business Review, Hybrid Still Isn't Working (July/August 2025), HR's New Role (May/June 2024), and It's Time To Do Away with "Dry Promotions" (July 2024) Connect with Jon Dwoskin: Twitter: @jdwoskin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathan.dwoskin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thejondwoskinexperience/ Website: https://jondwoskin.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwoskin/ Email: jon@jondwoskin.com Get Jon's Book: The Think Big Movement: Grow your business big. Very Big! Connect with Dr. Ranya Nehmeh:Website: https://www.ranyanehmeh.com *E - explicit language may be used in this podcast.

Why have so many democracies become more polarized, unstable, and vulnerable to authoritarianism? And why did so many political observers fail to see it coming? In this episode of the People, Power, Politics podcast, Nic Cheeseman talks to Sheri Berman, Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, about her recent article, “Democracy's Troubles Should Be No Surprise”, and its powerful argument that democracy's current troubles follow a familiar historical pattern. Drawing on classic theories of democratic stability, Berman explains how rising inequality, declining social mobility, polarization, and the erosion of cross-cutting cleavages have undermined even long-established democracies – and what policymakers can do in response. This podcast is part of our regular collaboration with the Journal of Democracy. Read the transcript here Guest: Sheri Berman is Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University. She is one of the leading scholars of democracy, liberalism, and political development, and the author of numerous influential books and articles on the historical foundations of democratic stability and crisis. Professor Berman's recent article, Democracy's Troubles Should Be No Surprise, published in the Journal of Democracy, explores why rising inequality, polarization, and declining social mobility have left even long-established democracies increasingly vulnerable to instability and authoritarianism. A widely read commentator and public intellectual, Berman's work bridges academic research and contemporary political debate. Presenter: Dr Nic Cheeseman is the Professor of Democracy and International Development at the University of Birmingham and Founding Director of CEDAR. The People, Power, Politics podcast brings you the latest insights into the factors that are shaping and re-shaping our political world. It is brought to you by the Centre for Elections, Democracy, Accountability and Representation (CEDAR) based at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Join us to better understand the factors that promote and undermine democratic government around the world and follow us on Twitter at @CEDAR_Bham! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Why have so many democracies become more polarized, unstable, and vulnerable to authoritarianism? And why did so many political observers fail to see it coming? In this episode of the People, Power, Politics podcast, Nic Cheeseman talks to Sheri Berman, Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, about her recent article, “Democracy's Troubles Should Be No Surprise”, and its powerful argument that democracy's current troubles follow a familiar historical pattern. Drawing on classic theories of democratic stability, Berman explains how rising inequality, declining social mobility, polarization, and the erosion of cross-cutting cleavages have undermined even long-established democracies – and what policymakers can do in response. This podcast is part of our regular collaboration with the Journal of Democracy. Read the transcript here Guest: Sheri Berman is Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University. She is one of the leading scholars of democracy, liberalism, and political development, and the author of numerous influential books and articles on the historical foundations of democratic stability and crisis. Professor Berman's recent article, Democracy's Troubles Should Be No Surprise, published in the Journal of Democracy, explores why rising inequality, polarization, and declining social mobility have left even long-established democracies increasingly vulnerable to instability and authoritarianism. A widely read commentator and public intellectual, Berman's work bridges academic research and contemporary political debate. Presenter: Dr Nic Cheeseman is the Professor of Democracy and International Development at the University of Birmingham and Founding Director of CEDAR. The People, Power, Politics podcast brings you the latest insights into the factors that are shaping and re-shaping our political world. It is brought to you by the Centre for Elections, Democracy, Accountability and Representation (CEDAR) based at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Join us to better understand the factors that promote and undermine democratic government around the world and follow us on Twitter at @CEDAR_Bham! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/political-science

Why have so many democracies become more polarized, unstable, and vulnerable to authoritarianism? And why did so many political observers fail to see it coming? In this episode of the People, Power, Politics podcast, Nic Cheeseman talks to Sheri Berman, Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, about her recent article, “Democracy's Troubles Should Be No Surprise”, and its powerful argument that democracy's current troubles follow a familiar historical pattern. Drawing on classic theories of democratic stability, Berman explains how rising inequality, declining social mobility, polarization, and the erosion of cross-cutting cleavages have undermined even long-established democracies – and what policymakers can do in response. This podcast is part of our regular collaboration with the Journal of Democracy. Read the transcript here Guest: Sheri Berman is Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University. She is one of the leading scholars of democracy, liberalism, and political development, and the author of numerous influential books and articles on the historical foundations of democratic stability and crisis. Professor Berman's recent article, Democracy's Troubles Should Be No Surprise, published in the Journal of Democracy, explores why rising inequality, polarization, and declining social mobility have left even long-established democracies increasingly vulnerable to instability and authoritarianism. A widely read commentator and public intellectual, Berman's work bridges academic research and contemporary political debate. Presenter: Dr Nic Cheeseman is the Professor of Democracy and International Development at the University of Birmingham and Founding Director of CEDAR. The People, Power, Politics podcast brings you the latest insights into the factors that are shaping and re-shaping our political world. It is brought to you by the Centre for Elections, Democracy, Accountability and Representation (CEDAR) based at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Join us to better understand the factors that promote and undermine democratic government around the world and follow us on Twitter at @CEDAR_Bham! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/public-policy

Why have so many democracies become more polarized, unstable, and vulnerable to authoritarianism? And why did so many political observers fail to see it coming? In this episode of the People, Power, Politics podcast, Nic Cheeseman talks to Sheri Berman, Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, about her recent article, “Democracy's Troubles Should Be No Surprise”, and its powerful argument that democracy's current troubles follow a familiar historical pattern. Drawing on classic theories of democratic stability, Berman explains how rising inequality, declining social mobility, polarization, and the erosion of cross-cutting cleavages have undermined even long-established democracies – and what policymakers can do in response. This podcast is part of our regular collaboration with the Journal of Democracy. Read the transcript here Guest: Sheri Berman is Professor of Political Science at Barnard College, Columbia University. She is one of the leading scholars of democracy, liberalism, and political development, and the author of numerous influential books and articles on the historical foundations of democratic stability and crisis. Professor Berman's recent article, Democracy's Troubles Should Be No Surprise, published in the Journal of Democracy, explores why rising inequality, polarization, and declining social mobility have left even long-established democracies increasingly vulnerable to instability and authoritarianism. A widely read commentator and public intellectual, Berman's work bridges academic research and contemporary political debate. Presenter: Dr Nic Cheeseman is the Professor of Democracy and International Development at the University of Birmingham and Founding Director of CEDAR. The People, Power, Politics podcast brings you the latest insights into the factors that are shaping and re-shaping our political world. It is brought to you by the Centre for Elections, Democracy, Accountability and Representation (CEDAR) based at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom. Join us to better understand the factors that promote and undermine democratic government around the world and follow us on Twitter at @CEDAR_Bham! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics

In our landmark 150th episode, we discuss a common theme in global development over the past 18 months: the state of U.S. foreign aid. We're seeing the State Department steadily replenish its workforce, with dozens of open roles across the agency's global health, international aid, and disaster response bureaus. On the topic of U.S. foreign assistance, last week Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed the U.S. remains the world's top aid provider "by far" despite the closure of the U.S. Agency for International Development. While provisional figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development indicate that Germany has officially overtaken the U.S. for the top spot, we find that the reality is more complex as the validity of the claim hinges entirely on how "aid" is defined. We break down the data and the nuance behind the figures. To discuss these stories, and others, Senior Editor Rumbi Chakamba sits down with Business Editor David Ainsworth and Global Development Reporter Elissa Miolene for episode number 150 of our weekly podcast series. Register for Devex Impact House @ London Climate Action Week here.: https://pages.devex.com/devex-at-london-climate-action-week.html

Neale Richmond, Minister of State for International Development and Diaspora, discusses Fine Gael's blueprint for a unified island.

David Hunsicker spent two decades at USAID building the institutional capacity for what came to be called Strategic Religious Engagement. That work culminated in the 2023 policy Building Bridges in Development, a framework for partnering with religious communities and faith-based organizations around shared goals. In this conversation, Hunsicker traces the path from a Pennsylvania Dutch upbringing, through conversion to Islam and graduate study in Central Asia, to an unexpected pull into US government work after September 11. We discuss the policy work that followed, what was lost when USAID was closed in 2025, and the new Strategic Religious Engagement Hub at Georgetown's Berkley Center. Show Notes:Building Bridges in Development: USAID's Strategic Religious Engagement Policy (https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/publications/building-bridges-in-development-usaid-s-strategic-religious-engagement-policy/)Send us Fan Mail

Dreaming  about taking a huge bike adventure? Then this episode is for you.Ellie Mitchell-Heggs shares her insights from her solo journey where she cycled 10,000 kilometres  across Africa from Rwanda to Cape Town. All up her trip was nine months long and took her across ten countries. It was also a ride that was layered with both a personal family connection to Africa and loaded up with a huge sense of purpose as well.Alongside the cycling, Ellie spent time in every capital city meeting with over 100 local NGOs, social enterprises and community organisations working in education, youth empowerment and gender equality. Ellie shares how those conversations, got her through the toughest stretches on the road.In this episode we cover:How Ellie got into bikepacking starting with the Vélodyssée down the west coast of FranceWhy she chose to start in Rwanda and ride south The communities and landscapes that shaped each country, from Uganda's warmth to the brutal isolation of Botswana's flat roads70 kilometres being swarmed by tsetse flies in a Tanzanian national parkCanoeing four days down the Zambezi river as a mid-trip resetGrieving her father on the road Cycling through Namibia with two fellow bikepackers.Food poisoning two days from Cape Town, and the unicycle escort into the cityWhat made those NGO conversations so energising Find Ellie on Instagram: @ProjectCycleAfrica Check out Old Man Mountain's new Manzanita Handlebar Cradle  Support the showBuy me a coffee!I'm an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:

In this episode, Dr. Baron sits down with Rabbi Megan and Paige GoldMarche, a dedicated couple working within the Jewish communal space, to discuss the deeply personal and complex realities of their family-building journey. Together, they share the emotional, physical, and financial hurdles of facing infertility as a queer couple while holding a profound desire to build their future family. Megan and Paige reflect on the early days of their relationship, tracing the path from their initial meeting at a Shabbat dinner to a shared realization that they wanted to build a life together. Driven by a poignant sense of urgency tied to family health history and a deep desire for their future children to know their grandparents, they set out with a clear timeline. However, their plans were quickly challenged by the clinical realities of donor selection, expensive medical protocols, and the physical toll of consecutive unsuccessful intrauterine inseminations (IUIs). The conversation also explores the complex logistics unique to family building in LGBTQ+, including navigating insurance gaps, utilizing the open healthcare marketplace for secondary coverage, and shifting from local sperm banks to larger cryobanks in search of matching backgrounds. As the journey progressed from IUIs into the world of IVF, the physical and emotional burdens mounted for both partners. This episode captures the heart-wrenching moment of finally receiving a positive pregnancy test, only to immediately face the agonizing anxiety of non-doubling beta numbers and the impending grief of early loss. If you are navigating the heavy intersecting roads of LGBTQ+ family building, medical fertility treatments, or the quiet grief of early pregnancy loss, this episode is for you. About Rabbi Megan GoldMarche: Rabbi Megan grew up in the Chicago suburbs where she found her voice as a Jewish leader at her Conservative youth group and Reform summer camp. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006 with a B.A. in Psychology and Women's Studies. Megan then went to work for the Hillel at Yale University where she discovered her passion for working with young people, and realized that rather than pursuing a PhD in Clinical psychology she wanted to use the Jewish tradition as a source of meaning to empower young adults to create their own rich Jewish identities and communities. Megan was ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in 2014 and also received an MA in Jewish Gender and Women's Studies and a certificate in Pastoral Care and Counseling. Megan is an alumna of the Wexner graduate fellowship. Megan served as Senior Base Rabbi at Metro Chicago Hillel where she spent six years leading and building the thriving Base network for Jews in their 20s and 30s. She also has a passion for travel and outdoor adventure- which has currently led her to forty-eight of the fifty states in the US. Megan and her wife Paige, and their daughters Bri and Rori, live in Mt. Airy and loves hosting folks in their home for Shabbat and Holidays! Connect with Rabbi Megan GoldMarche: Instagram‍ About Paige GoldMarche: Paige (she/her) is the mom of two kiddos, a Jewish professional and a challah baker. She is the Director of the Meyer-Gottesman Kol Koleinu Teen Feminist Fellowship at Moving Traditions, working with teens all over the US to building feminist community and learn about activism through a Jewish and feminist lens. Paige is also the Mt Airy Challah Fairy, baking and selling challah for local Philly non-profits. She has a BA in International Development and Social Change from Clark University, an MA in Jewish Communal Service from Baltimore Hebrew Institute at Towson University, and a certificate in Non-Profit Studies from Johns Hopkins University. Paige is an active member of Germantown Jewish Center. Connect with Paige GoldMarche: Instagram‍ Connect with us: Website‍ ‍Instagram - send us a message YouTube‍ ‍Facebook‍ ‍TikTok‍ ‍LinkedIn‍ ‍

Journalist Rosemary Armao  checked back in with Albany native and long-time foreign service officer Michelle Dworkin about that rare Ebola  virus rolling through central Africa. Dworkin lost her job with the US Agency for International Development  last year when the Trump administration shut it down. Armao in her  Beyond the Brink podcast this week explores just how much  the Trump administration is to blame for the latest global health crisis.  Did  layoffs  at USAID and the CDC and a pull-out from the World Health Organization contribute to the disease getting out of control? Are Americans better protected from disease when the country has turned global cooperation on health matters into purely transactional bilateral agreements. You give us your minerals and gems; we'll give you medicine.Should the US rejoin the World Health Organization?US public health policy under Trump/Kennedy has A. put people including Americans at greater risk for infectious diseases B. put some sense into public health planning overly dependent on big Pharma C. sensibly put focus on public health of U.S. citizens D. upended a system of global cooperation on public health matters that worked.Michelle Dworkin was until 2025 a career foreign service officer with the US Agency for International Development. Over, some 23 years, she worked in Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, and Washington, DC. She possesses In-depth knowledge of government processes, congressional affairs, and project development.  She lives now near Albany again with her parents and daughter. 

The United States has poured billions into the United Nations to fund relief works, but not all that money goes where you might think. Years of impunity have allowed murder, rape, kidnapping and fraud to flourish in the UN system, yet the UN Secretary General and his team have stonewalled investigations, invoked "privileges and immunities" to shield employees, and protected the worst of the worst. And then there's UNRWA, where investigations report as many as 1,500 employees are members of Hamas, some of whom participated directly in the October 7th attacks on Israel. The USAID Inspector General, operating independently from the State Department, is digging into the corruption and fraud buried inside the UN system and within its ranks. In a break from our usual call for Congress to do its job, we're giving credit where it's due: Members are shining a light on this issue but while Congress requires vetting when writing checks to these agencies, legal requirements are regularly ignored by both Republicans and Democrats in the Executive Branch. The UN's broad "privileges and immunities" have become a cover for taxpayer funded grift and a shield for inexcusable crimes. What can be done to support these investigations? And why continue funding UN agencies with a proven record of violating American law and American national security? Adam Kaplan is the acting Associate Deputy Inspector General at the U.S. Agency for International Development. He works with senior administration officials and Congress to ensure effective oversight of U.S.-funded foreign assistance, with a focus on preventing fraud, corruption, and diversion of humanitarian aid by terrorist organizations. Specializing in oversight of billions of dollars in foreign assistance to Gaza and Ukraine, Adam works with U.S., bilateral, and multilateral agencies to ensure that OIG's criminal investigators have access to information necessary to conduct their criminal, civil, and administrative investigative work. Prior to this role, Adam served as OIG's deputy general counsel, supporting criminal investigators and the Department of Justice on criminal investigations, False Claims Act cases, and suspension/debarment actions. Read the transcript here.Subscribe to our Substack here.

On Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg, Dani speaks with Nicholas Enrich for Part 3 of Food Tank's series exploring the far-reaching impacts of dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development. Enrich is a former civil servant who worked at the U.S. Agency for International Development under four administrations and the author of the new book Into the Wood Chipper: A Whistleblower's Account of How the Trump Administration Shredded USAID. During their conversation, they talk about why he released a series of whistleblower memos to expose the administration's actions, the generational impacts of dismantling the agency, and advice for civil servants trying to speak out against unethical or illegal behavior in their own offices. Plus, U.S. states move to ban food dyes and additives, Thailand's THAIFEX expo highlights the global shift away from ultra-processed foods, U.S.-Mexico trade disputes continue to drive up tomato prices, a federal decision threatens to remove bison from public lands in Montana, and the Hajj brings people and culinary traditions together.  While you're listening, subscribe, rate, and review the show; it would mean the world to us to have your feedback. You can listen to "Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg" wherever you consume your podcasts.

Despite all the advancements we have achieved globally in recent decades, as many as 750 million people still lack access to electricity. Tackling energy poverty requires far more than linking communities to an electric grid. Closing the massive disparity in opportunity for people around the world will require building energy abundance, not just access. Energy is prosperity, and one way to measure it is by the Modern Energy Minimum. Developed by the Energy for Growth Hub, this benchmark posits that a truly modern life requires at least 1,000 kilowatt-hours per person, per year—10 to 20 times the amount typically used to define electricity access.  Here at the Center on Global Energy Policy we're partnering with the Rockefeller Foundation to launch a High-Level Panel on Universal Energy Abundance. The panel is dedicated to providing decision-makers with the insights needed to drive industrialization, job creation, and broad-based prosperity across emerging economies.  So how can we develop and invest in energy infrastructure globally in a way that supports prosperity? What role should governments play? Do the right tools to improve access exist? And how do we navigate the tension between energy growth and climate policy?  Today on the show, Jason speaks with Katie Auth about energy's role in driving lasting economic change and why the modern energy minimum model could produce a meaningfully better standard of living in developing economies. Katie is the deputy executive director at the Energy for Growth Hub, which works to end poverty through sustainable development and climate resilience. She's also a non-resident fellow on US-Africa relations at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a member of the Economic Advisory Council for the U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation. Previously, she spent seven years at the U.S. Agency for International Development, including as senior development finance advisor and acting deputy coordinator of Power Africa. Credits: Hosted by Jason Bordoff and Bill Loveless. Produced by Mary Catherine O'Connor, Caroline Pitman, and Kyu Lee. Engineering by Gregory Vilfranc.  

In this episode of Real Money, Real Experts, hosts Dr. Brandy Baxter and Rachael DeLeon sit down with Lisa Whitley, accredited financial counselor, and founder of MoneyByLisa LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor domiciled in the District of Columbia. Lisa shares her unique journey as a Foreign Service Officer with the United States Agency for International Development into financial counseling and advocacy work. Together, they explore how financial professionals can use their firsthand client experiences to influence policy, support financial wellness initiatives, and create meaningful change at the local, state, and federal levels.From affordability challenges and utility assistance programs to consumer protection and community advocacy, this conversation breaks down how advocacy doesn't have to feel overwhelming — and why even one small step can make a lasting impact.Whether you're passionate about policy or simply looking for ways to better support your clients, this episode is a reminder that your voice matters.Show Notes:00:00 – Welcome back to Real Money, Real Experts00:38 – Introducing guest Lisa Kirchenbauer01:57 – Lisa's journey into government relations and advocacy03:15 – From Wall Street and United States Agency for International Development to financial counseling04:40 – Why Lisa started her own firm, Money by Lisa05:49 – What advocacy looks like in financial wellness06:53 – Why advocacy can feel overwhelming — and how to simplify it08:28 – Starting local: state and community-level advocacy08:48 – The Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education Advocacy Toolkit and practical resources10:46 – Learning from other states and sharing solutions11:35 – Why AFCs are subject matter experts in financial wellness13:44 – Key policy issues impacting clients right now16:08 – Practical first steps for getting involved in advocacy17:48 – A real-world example of community advocacy creating policy change19:49 – Lisa's 2 Cents20:59 – How the Government Relations Task Force supports the AFCPE communityShow Note Links:Check out our Government Relations Advocacy Toolkit!  Follow MoneyByLisa on Facebook!Connect with Lisa on Linkedin!Learn more about MoneyByLisa!Want to get involved with AFCPE®?Here are a few places to start: Become a Member, Sign up for an Essentials Course, or Get AFC Certified today!Want to support the podcast? We love partnering with organizations that share our mission and values. Download our media kit.

More To The Story: When Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, went looking for government agencies to axe last year, one of its first targets was the US Agency for International Development. Established during the Cold War to counter Soviet influence, USAID spent billions of dollars on food aid, public health, and emergency relief for some of the world's most vulnerable populations. In return, the US hoped to gain allies and goodwill. Call it a decades-long exercise in soft power. But since President Donald Trump returned to office, soft power is out. And so is USAID, which has been slashed and reorganized. The Trump administration is trying to close the agency altogether by September. This has led to some horrific consequences for the people who relied on USAID to survive. On this week's More To The Story, ProPublica's Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Brett Murphy join host Al Letson to talk about their on-the-ground reporting from Africa and how the Trump administration's aid cuts are leading to devastating, even deadly, consequences.Producer: Josh Sanburn | Editor: Kara McGuirk-Allison | Theme music: Fernando Arruda and Jim Briggs | Copy editor: Nikki Frick | Digital producer: Artis Curiskis | Deputy executive producer: Taki Telonidis | Executive producer: Brett Myers | Executive editor: James West | Host: Al LetsonRead: Russell Vought Raided USAID Budgets He Helped Gut to Pay for His Own Security (Mother Jones)Listen: How Project 2025 Is Reshaping Our Country (More To The Story)Read: Trump Officials Celebrated With Cake After Slashing Aid. Then People Died of Cholera. (ProPublica)Listen: Paper Trail (ProPublica) Donate today at Revealnews.org/more Subscribe to our weekly newsletter at Revealnews.org/weekly Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices