I'm organising a free 7-week program exploring different approaches to impact in global development. There will be both a virtual version and in-person (in London) version.
If this is something you may find useful (now or in the future), sign up to indicate interest and I will send out more info if enough people sign up. It would be helpful if you could also share with other individuals/organisations who may find this kind of program relevant.
Through weekly readings and discussions, we'll examine multiple pathways to creating positive change at scale.
I've included more links than you'd be expected to read. It's to give a sense of the types of topics we could discuss each week, and for people to dive into after a discussion. Also if you have ideas on relevant articles/videos/etc for each topic, let me know.
Week 1 - A history of global development
How has poverty changed over the last two centuries? (and what was life like before 1825)
Bretton Woods institutions, United Nations, WHO, Marshall Plan, Green Revolution, vaccination campaigns, development economics
What has happened in the last few decades
Washington Consensus policies, rise of NGOs and civil society, rise of evidence-based development, internet, mobile phones, and growth in China & India
ID Insight - Ask-a-Metric: Your AI data analyst on WhatsApp
What are the most promising AI applications for development?
How will AI be used by governments, NGOs and the private sector?
What will have the biggest impact on future development if not AI?
Each week combines curated readings, structured discussions and case studies. The time commitment is 2 hours per week, 1 hour of reading and 1 hour of discussion.
Who It's For
The program is relevant for:
Professionals outside of development considering a career transition
Global development professionals considering shifting into another part of development they are less familiar with
Anyone wanting to understand & discuss effective approaches to global development
Format
Duration: 7 weeks
Time Commitment: ~2 hours/week
Cost: Free
Startdate: March 2025
Two options:
Virtual Cohort: Weekly online sessions
London Cohort: Weekly in-person discussions
If you're interested in joining either cohort or a future version, you can express interest here.
Why?
There are quite a few programs for other areas[1], but I hadn't seen anything related to broader global development. Most EA related courses have a section on starting a charity or earning money to donate effectively but not much about the wider range of areas you can have impact, and the global development focused courses like MIT micromasters were generally at least 11 weeks and each one had a relatively narrow focus.
There didn't seem to be anything between broad EA and broad global development, even outside of EA (although if you know of one, that'd be useful to hear about). I'm hoping this could bridge that gap, and if this trial goes well it could be scaled up.
AI Use Note: Main body text entirely human written. Claude (Opus 4.8) helped develop models of animal life histories in the appendix.
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This looks really cool!