I spent nine years watching NGOs argue over spreadsheets in air-conditioned offices while I was trying to figure out why a shipment of oxytocin was …
The Overhead Argument
Beneficiary Data as a Risk
I once sat in a humid warehouse outside Goma, watching a junior officer try to explain a thirty-page digital encryption protocol to a driver who …
What Poorer Countries Ask for at Cop
I spent a decade watching delegates in air-conditioned conference halls in Bonn and Nairobi argue over decimal points in carbon credits, while I was on …
The Three Things the Hdi Combines
I spent a decade watching UN trucks kick up red dust in South Sudan, waiting for shipments that were always “on schedule” according to some …
The Fee on Money Sent Home
I remember sitting in a humid, dust-choked office in Goma, staring at a spreadsheet that claimed we were “optimizing liquidity flows.” It was all high-level …
Inequality in One Number
I once spent three weeks in a humid warehouse outside Goma, staring at a stack of medical manifests that didn’t match the regional economic reports. …
Reporting a Trial Accurately
I spent most of my thirties in humid, overcrowded courtrooms in South Sudan, waiting for signatures that rarely came. Most people think learning how to …
Comparing Incomes Across Countries
I remember sitting in a humid warehouse in Goma, staring at a spreadsheet that claimed our budget had doubled due to a favorable currency shift. …
Remittances Are Larger Than Aid
I remember sitting in a humid warehouse outside Goma, staring at a stack of empty crates and a spreadsheet that claimed we had “deployed” three …
Attributing an Effect to Sanctions
I spent nine years watching NGOs lose their minds over compliance spreadsheets while the actual supplies sat rotting in a customs warehouse because nobody knew …