Seattle Law and Development Conference

Just received this invitation and I am passing the information along to the IPE community. I hope some of you can attend. Cynthia Howson, who was a visiting IPE professor two years ago, is one of the presenters. Follow the links for details.

It is our great pleasure and honor to invite you to the 2011 Law and Development Institute Conference: “Law and Development at the Microlevel: From Microtrade to Current Issues in Law and Development”.

The Law and Development Institute (LDI, www.lawanddevelopment.net), established in Sydney, Australia, promotes law and development agendas, conducts relevant academic research, and provides forums for academic exchanges in law and development. Twenty-eight leading scholars and professionals from several countries are currently participating in the LDI. The LDI held the inaugural conference in Sydney on October 16, 2010 (www.ldiconference.net), which was promoted globally and attended by over one hundred scholars, lawyers, students, and government officials from several countries.

The LDI, in conjunction with Seattle University School of Law, holds its second conference in law and development on December 10, 2011, at Seattle University School of Law (Student Center, "LeRoux Room"). Eighteen leading speakers from nine countries, including U.S.A., Canada, Japan, Korea, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, United Kingdom, and India, are scheduled to present key issues on international trade, investment and finance, and least-developed countries from the perspective of law and development. The conference schedule is attached for your reference with this invitation letter.

On-line registration will be required for conference attendance. The online registration site will be available by October 15^th, and will be announced on the LDI website, www.lawanddevelopment.net (news and events section).

Apps for Development

Need an outlet for your IPE creative energy? The World Bank has challenged the public to create innovative software applications that move us a step closer toward solving some of the world's most pressing problems.

There are prizes and you can see the cool apps already entered at http://appsfordevelopment.challengepost.com/

Here is information from the website:

About Apps for Development

The World Bank launched its Open Data Initiative in April, 2010. This initiative made an array of data sets, including the World Development Indicators, Africa Development Indicators, and Millennium Development Goal Indicators – free for all.

The Apps for Development Competition aims to bring together the best ideas from both the software developer and the development practitioner communities to create innovative apps using World Bank data.

The Competition challenges participants to develop software applications related to one or more of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Submissions may be any kind of software application, be it for the web, a personal computer, a mobile handheld device, console, SMS, or any software platform broadly available to the public. The only other requirement is that the proposed application use one or more datasets from the World Bank Data Catalog available at data.worldbank.org.

Applications submitted to the Competition should address at least one of the following objectives:

1. Raise awareness of at least one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), or
2. Contribute to progress toward meeting one of the MDGs by 2015.

Applications which best satisfy the competition criteria will receive cash prizes and the opportunity to have their apps featured on the World Bank Open Data website. Competition participants are encouraged to also use other relevant indicators and datasets, and to be creative in exploring approaches for realizing the goals.

About the Millennium Development Goals

The MDGs represent a collective ambition for our world. Simply put, the MDGs express a vision of a world in which extreme poverty and hunger have been eliminated, and the economic and human welfare of poor people worldwide has been tangibly improved. The MDGs articulate specific targets to be reached by 2015 related to poverty and hunger, universal education, child health and other crucial dimensions.

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Thanks to Marina Balleria for pointing out this program.

Staying for Tea: International Development Alumni Blog

Aaron Ausland (IPE '96) writes a blog called "Staying for Tea: Good Principles and Practice of International Development" that analyzes the issues that he deals with as an international development professional. His most recent post, for example, talks about the challenges and opportunities of "voluntourism." Readers who are interested in international development would do well to follow this blog.

Aaron is a development practitioner with over a dozen years of experience designing, managing, and evaluating development projects in over two dozen countries with a variety of organizations, including the Mennonite Central Committee, World Concern, Agros International, Trickle Up, and World Vision.

His diverse work has included launching a microfinance program in Bolivia, consulting a multinational mining corporation on their corporate social responsibility strategy, evaluating a multi-million dollar emergency response to the Indian Ocean tsunami, creating an econometric model to help combat corruption in Peru, and leading a multinational team of operations auditors.

He is the founder and editor of The Global Citizen: a Journal for Young Adults Engaging the World Through Service, which is published by The Krista Foundation for Global Citizenship, where he also serves as a Board member. He has a Masters in Public Administration in International Development from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and a BA in IPE from Puget Sound. (Aaron's senior thesis studied "macrofinance" versus "microfinance" as development tools.)

He currently works for a large development organization as the Associate Director of Independent Research and Evaluation and lives in Bogotá, Colombia with is wife and two children.

Sustainable Development Opportunities

This just in from the Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD) www.fsdinternational.org

Intern or Volunteer abroad this fall with a local organization in Africa, Asia or Latin America. Gain development experience and build your resume toward an international career. Applications will be accepted through July 1^st!!

COUNTRIES: *Argentina * Bolivia * Nicaragua * India * Kenya * Uganda*

DEVELOPMENT SUBJECTS: *Microenterprise/Microfinance * Environment * Appropriate Technology * Women's Empowerment * Human Rights * Health * Youth & Education * Community Development*

WHY FSD? Since 1995, FSD has been a leader in providing hands-on international development and cultural immersion experience to students and professionals of all ages. Our programs supply the building blocks for establishing international development careers, strengthening graduate school applications, fulfilling practicum requirements, and cultivating professional relationships. As a participant of one of FSD's international programs, you will receive:

*DEVELOPMENT TRAINING - Using an experiential approach, our local Site Teams provide you with the skills needed to become a development professional. On-site trainings address:

*Community Mapping and Partnership Building

*Needs Assessment Tools

*Legal and Cultural Frameworks and Local Approaches to Development

*How to write Effective Grant Proposals

*Project Monitoring and Evaluation

*Integrating Sustainability into Project Work

*Collaborative Project Design and Management

*DIRECT ENAGEMENT AND PROJECT EXPERIENCE - Interns and volunteers are placed individually with local organizations that optimally match their interests, skills, and objectives. These organizations are directed by community leaders who collaborate with interns and volunteers on project work that sustainably addresses local needs and activates community involvement.

*CULTURAL IMMERSION - Rather than working and living as a group, FSD interns and volunteers live individually with host families and work individually with partner organizations to ensure cultural immersion. Training, cultural activities, discussion groups, workshops, and retreats are done as a group to promote the exchange of resources and ideas.

* ALUMNI NETWORK - Upon completion of your program, you will have access to a large network of program alumni that, through FSD, share common experiences, values, and a willingness to help each other achieve their vocational goals.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED! Visit our website (www.fsdinternational.org)