Friends of African Village Libraries (I post regularly here)- Daytime session at Sherigu Community Library
- La deuxième journée des activités de café littéraire à la bibliothèque de Boni
- Échanges avec la nouvelle gérante de la bibliothèque de Koho
- Reprise des activités de la bibliothèque mobile Pénélope
- Sortie de la Bibliothèque Mobile Pénélope à l’école Sainte Thérèse
- Bonne nouvelle pour les amoureux de la lecture à Niankorodougou
- Bibliothèque communautaire de Zimtenga ! Les livres attendent patiemment le retour des communautés
- Bilan des activités du mois d’août de la bibliothèque de Bougounam
- Bilan des premières journées du café littéraire
- Nyariga community library, daytime activities
Author Archives: mkevane
Profile of Preet Bharara should give Democrats some pause
I just don’t follow U.S. politics close enough to be reasonably sure about many things. Last night I was reading this profile of Preet Bharara, from the May 2016 The New Yorker. The piece was presumably in part anticipating that … Continue reading
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From Air France music, Postaal
The sample is from “Golden” by Jill Scott.
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Non-citizens voting? Wonderful straightforward analysis from Ansolabehere, Luks, and Schaffner
Stepping back from the immediate question of whether the CCES in fact shows a low rate of voting among non-citizens, our analysis carries a much broader lesson and caution about the analysis of big databases to study low frequency characteristics … Continue reading
Posted in R statistics
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Le Burkina post-transition from Africa Research Institute
Good short analysis of the political and economic situation in Burkina Faso. I disagree with the last point made though, that economic policy success depends on “finding the resources.” I think that an engaged president could do much more to … Continue reading
Posted in Burkina Faso
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How did I come to read about Argalus and Parthenia?
Because I am reading Baroque Times in Old Mexico, and Argalus and Parthenia is one of those poems that people read back in the 1600s! And I wondered what it was about. And then I learn that Francis Quarles is … Continue reading
Posted in Being a teacher, Book and film reviews
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Worrisome perspective on security situation in Mali
The overall objective sought by the terrorists is to provoke the withdrawal of the operation Barkhane troupes. Indeed, for the main cities of northern Mali, these troupes constitute the only credible protection. The end of Barkhane would cause a collapse … Continue reading
Posted in Burkina Faso
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Arrival, Three Body Problem and Dark Forest
The refuge from a depressing present (Roch Marc Christian Kaboré since winning the election last year has done almost nothing, and Burkina Faso’s prospects for a vibrant economy and polity seem to fade with each passing week ) is in … Continue reading
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Learn rhumba guitar and lingala at the same time!
Posted in Burkina Faso, Music
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Ricci Shryock with daily glimpses of life, and death, in West Africa
Posted in Development thinking
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Oliver Mutukudzi’s song Todii
Oliver Mutukudzi’s song Todii is one of the saddest but most beautiful songs to emerge out of the Southern African music scene. Worth a listen; here he is at Tiny Desk concert at NPR performing a quiet acoustic version. When … Continue reading
Posted in Development thinking, Music
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Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga remains a great novel!
I have read Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga three times now, and on each reading the novel seems to get better! The writing is really very good, and every few pages the narrator, Tambudzai, offers some clear and sharp insight … Continue reading
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Thoughtful interview on Fed policy
Our whole conference has been about anomalies. Some of those anomalies are pretty fundamental. Why has G.D.P. growth been slow? Why has the labor force participation rate come down so much? Why haven’t we hit 2 percent inflation more quickly? … Continue reading
Posted in Teaching macroeconomics
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Recent leisure reading: Marlon James A Brief History of Seven Killings
Marlon James A Brief History of Seven Killings I finally got around to reading this and am almost over. It is a hard book to read. Multiple narration, Jamaican patois (with a lot of vocabulary that has to be inferred … Continue reading
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Land tenure security and investment in African agriculture: Thoughts on Fenske
I assigned James Fenske’s excellent survey, meta-analysis, and re-analysis for my African Economic Development class. In some ways, the lesson to draw is how little can be generalized. There are many reasons for why few studies find a strong positive … Continue reading
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The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
My Dad gave this to me to read after he had finished. A good, serviceable, honest thriller. Very earnest in some ways, but what can you expect from the snowy plains of Minnesota. I enjoyed it, even as I longed … Continue reading
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John Cochrane thinks the administrative state silences speech… I think there is a bigger danger from Donald Trump
I was listening to John Cochrane, now at Hoover Institute, giving an EconTalk Podcast with Russ Roberts. One of the main problems with the over-regulatory administrative state that the United States is becoming, according to Cochrane, is that “the rules” … Continue reading
Posted in Teaching macroeconomics, United States
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Clear statement about why Brexit matters for the United Kingdom
More than anything, though, the precipitous drop [in the pound] seemed to attest to an increasingly unmistakable reality: Britain’s vote to exit the European Union — Brexit, in common parlance — has put its commercial relationships with the world on … Continue reading
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Friday music: Kurt Wagner of Lambchop on drugs
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Helping farmers to grow new crops for export in Kenya: Lessons from failure?
For my African Economic Development class we are reading a paper that uses the randomized control trial methodology to evaluate a program to encourage farmers to produce crops for export. The presumption is that new crops like french beans, passion … Continue reading
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Best music for driving at night on H 5 Los Angeles to San Jose: Bon Iver 22 (OVER S∞∞N)
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