Habits of the Heart

Category: Charity

  • My Summer Reading List – 2025

    Every summer I share some of the best books I’ve read (or that are on my reading list). This year, I am sharing a list that is a bit different, one based on concepts/ ideas that are relevant, to understand, rather than recency of publication. Here goes: Welfare: book – Arguments for Welfare. Paul Spicker:…

  • Interview with Dr. K.T. Connor on ethics and public life 

    Dr. K.T. Connor was a Senior Adjunct Professor with the MPPA program until recently, for over a decade and brings a wealth of experience in ethics, business as well as public leadership. She served as the Managing Director of Applied Axiometrics. She is the head of a virtual collaboration of consultants using decision-theory-based assessments in…

  • What is the role of intellectuals in our social media driven world?

    What is the role of intellectuals in our world? A world that is almost anti-intellectual in its orientation – in the sense of being ephemeral, with fleeting attention spans, where the loudest – and most powerful voice – wins.  I came across this speech by Dr.Edward Said, one of the leading Arab intellectuals whose book…

  • How does tourism promote development? – Part 2

    Two models of eco-tourism The past ten days have been extremely educational for many reasons, one of them being in increasing my understanding of eco-tourism. I traveled to Ecuador and witnessed first-hand two models of eco-tourism that are markedly different, but offer incredible insights into how this form of tourism can aid in development as…

  • How to help the people of Syria and Turkey – without breaking rules around U.S. Sanctions?

    By now, it is increasingly becoming clear that the earthquake that impacted Syria and Turkey on 6 February, is a massive humanitarian disaster. This crisis like others in war-torn and conflict zones is unique in that American aid cannot reach the potential beneficiaries, with ease.  For those Americans who want to donate to NGOs, or…

  • Why more grad students should study/ travel abroad in 2023

    I took a small group of students to Tijuana, Mexico in December 2022. We visited the “most dangerous city in the world,” and a city that is often associated with crime, violence and all negative stereotypes, to learn about migration and the “migrant crisis.”

  • Have you learnt your crisis communications lessons, yet?

    Covid-19, economic recession of 2008, 9/11 attacks and a great many other events should have taught us one thing: crisis management. I firmly believe that if you have been paying attention to these events then you’d have picked up at least a few lessons in crisis management/ communications along the way. If you haven’t, no…

  • Do Sanctions work? : What have we learnt from past actions

    I recall coming across this question in grad school, almost 12 years ago. The professor who taught a course on the UN and its role in development posed this question to all of us. The class, consisted of about 20 or so young, idealistic students from around the world with varying understandings of sanctions –…

  • Giving in unprecedented times in the Middle East

    Giving in unprecedented times in the Middle East

    Saif Khan Charities, nonprofit organizations, and businesses are providing financial aid, distributing medical supplies, and raising awareness in unprecedented times in the Middle East in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Outlined below are some important initiatives in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia The Saudi Food Bank “Eta’am,” the first of its kind…

  • How can charity and philanthropy help during COVID-19 crisis

    How can charity and philanthropy help during COVID-19 crisis

    I accidentally came across a short video on twitter by Chef Jose Andres. Chef Andres shared a recipe of a simple lentil soup and also a message: feed others with what you have. Feed your own family, feed the people around you. This simple message resonated with me, both as an educator and as someone…

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