Habits of the Heart

Category: International development

  • Raise and Rise – Funding sources for your startup in the era of digital transformation & blockchain – Victoria Silchenko, Ph.D. (Book Review)

    Raise and Rise is a book that promises to “change your perspective on venture financing and possibly life,” as Victoria Silchenko promises. For those who don’t have the time to read through this review, and want a TLDR version of this review: Yes, she lives up to the promise. She offers a critical view of…

  • What is the case for the Direct Trade model? – Part 2

    Fairtrade is not the panacea it was meant to be. As more and more consumers and researchers realize this truth, we are left grasping for straws. “What do we do then, to ensure that our trade is ethical, benefits the manufacturers/ growers, more than the suppliers,” is a legitimate question to ask. @tlalipani

  • 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.”

  • How should we think about “development”?

    How should we think about “development”?

    I conceptualized a new course this term, to make up for the study abroad course that I could not offer. I ambitiously called it “understanding development,” keeping in mind the idea that we would discuss what this term means and what we should do about it. The reaction from students so far is pretty positive…

  • Insights into refugee resettlement in Germany

    Last week, I was in Munich, attending a conference organized by the Institut fur Politisch Bildung, a German think-tank and Virginia Tech (my alma mater). The three day visit was overwhelmingly positive, except for a visit to the Dachau Concentration camp, which left me drained, emotionally.  Regardless, here is a quick synopsis of some of…

  • Two Americans in Ecuador

    While the American political apparatus is busy withdrawing itself from the world, I met two incredible Americans who have not only spent their energies, but also their time trying to make Ecuador a better place. Just last week I was in Quito, the country’s capital to visit Sun Mountain, an organization founded by Scott Solberg, an…

Twitter
LinkedIn