Author Archives: mkevane

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About mkevane

Economist at Santa Clara University and Director of Friends of African Village Libraries.

Back in Ouagadougou

I’m back for four months.  I think this will be a good trip.  Saw Peter Hochet on the plane; he was returning from Guinea.  He and colleagues in Labo Citoyennetes are doing a big project on land tenure regimes in … Continue reading

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In Burkina Faso, gender still matters in politics

Why do I say that?  A nice article on the opposition parties meeting to coordinate their strategy in the national Assembly (trying to clarify the meaning of official opposition, all that good stuff that political scientists like to talk about).  … Continue reading

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Competition for groundnuts in Senegal….

On termine cette revue de presse au Sénégal. La Chine « déferle dans l’arachide » : c’est le titre choisi par Jeune Afrique dans son édition économique. Au port de Dakar, 53 000 tonnes d’oléagineux étaient en instance de départ … Continue reading

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He didn’t call me?

From The New Yorker review of Justin Timberlake’s new album: Timberlake’s …  “Let the Groove Get In” is… powered by a synthetic kick drum and a sample of vocals and percussion from Burkina Faso…” Maybe because I don’t know a … Continue reading

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Department of buried in a footnote

I’m reading Esther Duflo, Michael Kremer, and Jon Robinson’s AER paper on fertilizer use in Kenya.  Summarized by Chris Blattman here.  I’m looking for the gender dimension.  It’s hard to find and interpret.  They sampled ~450 men and ~450 women  … Continue reading

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Nice critique of Lean In from Kate Losse in Dissent Magazine

And so, in the end, Lean In may be a book not about a social movement, but about Sandberg’s own movement from Harvard to Google to Facebook, and now into her self-appointed role as leader of Lean In. The book … Continue reading

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Mladic from Godspeed You! Black Emperor new album ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!

a nice review of the album is here:

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I’d ask Emily, but don’t think she would have much to add

Robert Nozick, somewhere, wondered why older people didn’t sacrifice more for the common good.  He meant, I think, being prepared for really heroic events involving likely death.  Their lives were nearing the end, so the opportunity cost of great sacrifice … Continue reading

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Stone Book Quartet line by line: 1

A bottle of cold tea; bread and a half onion. That was Father’s baggin. Mary emptied her apron of stones from the field and wrapped the baggin in a cloth. First paragraph. Delightfully sparse. Evokes the countryside of long ago. … Continue reading

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War Witch

I didn’t realize this film War Witch (Rebelle) was one of the nominees for best foreign film; to be honest it looks too excruiciatingly sad for me to watch. I have a long-standing principle to put down books for adults … Continue reading

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The Day He Arrives

I am enjoying watching The Day He Arrives immensely… maybe I just needed to see something really intelligent in black and white… god how long has it been!

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Zéphirin Diabré gives up spot in National Assembly

There are many possible reasons for a move like this I suppose, but seems a bit odd, and doesn’t bode well that appears to have happened without groundwork… making him vulnerable to charge of being a bit wacky?  But perhaps … Continue reading

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Today’s gender chuckle

Reading Charles Jones and Dietrich Vollrath’s Introduction to Economic Growth.  Great book.  But.  “Gender” and “women” do not appear in the index.   Nor do they appear in the text, even in the chapter on fertility and population growth.  But gender … Continue reading

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So that’s what the pelleteuse in Béréba is for?

Plus surprenant : une pelleteuse fait partie des prises de guerre. Celle-ci permettait aux jihadistes de creuser des tranchées pour se dissimuler. via Mali: la photo qui fait dire au Tchad que Belmokhtar est mort – Mali / Tchad – … Continue reading

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Homage video to Hollis Frampton

frampton’s lemma from dan browne on Vimeo.

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Great abstract light video… it’s Hollis Frampton all over again

Philosophy by Light from Roman Palchenkov on Vimeo.

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Can you spare fifteen minutes for a quiet smile?

The Six Dollar Fifty Man from NZ Shorts on Vimeo.

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Pfc. Bradley E. Manning’s Statement for the Providence Inquiry

Scary stuff.  The video is below. Facts regarding the unauthorized storage and disclosure of the 12 July 2007 aerial weapons team or AW team video. During the mid-February 2010 time frame the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division targeting … Continue reading

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Après mai…. nice film by Oliver Assayas on Paris revolt… pretty, if uncompelling unless you are 21

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Formidable!

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