News & Events

The ASC is to perform an evaluation of the 'epicentre programme' of The Hunger Project (THP) Benin. The ASC will assess how THPs strategy has contributed to development processes in Benin. THP Benin is part of the international NGO The Hunger Project. THP works with so-called ‘epicentres’: clusters of villages, or 'dynamic centres where communities are mobilized for action to meet their basic needs'. The ASC will perform an external, qualitative evaluation using the PADev approach. PADev is a participatory and holistic methodology for evaluating development interventions.

The plot of The Maestro, The Magistrate & The Mathematician, a new novel by Tendai Huchu (born 1982 in Bindura, Zimbabwe) revolves around the lives of three Zimbabwean expatriates: three different men who struggle with thoughts of belonging, loss, identity and love. Set in Scotland, where Tendai Huchu also happens to live at present, the book zooms into the life of the expatriate but also provides some valuable insight into the political and economic landscape, the shaky opposition and the corruption which are set into the fabric of Zimbabwean life. The Maestro, The Magistrate & The Mathematician is the subject of our latest Acquisition Highlight!

In 1962, the South African Liquor Act was revised in a way that finally permitted all South Africans to purchase alcohol. The wine companies anticipated a surge in wine sales amongst black consumers. But while the sale of bottled beer increased exponentially, that of wine increased only slightly. By the 1980s consumption was actually falling. Where had the wine industry gone wrong? Find out during the ASC seminar on 16 April with Paul Nugent, Professor of Comparative African History of the University of Edinburgh!

‘Big data’ (high-volume, digital-born data) has been heralded as a developmental resource, with commentators stressing its potential in predicting crises and better targeting aid. But if data really is the new oil, we might also consider its potential for state- and market-building. This presentation on 11 June by ASC researcher Laura Mann situates big data in its broader developmental context by examining the use of mobile phone and smartcard data in smallholder agriculture and informal urban transport. Please note that this seminar starts earlier than usual, at 15:00.

African governments generally have been less successful in implementing industrial policies - historically and in the contemporary period - compared to other developing country regions. During the ASC seminar on 4 June, Lindsay Whitfield (Roskilde University, Denmark) will talk about the conditions under which industrial policies are successfully implemented and will identify the politics that make those conditions possible. Focus is on Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda. You are all very welcome!