‘Some people just don’t want to develop.’ During my years of work in international development I’ve heard this view expressed, implicitly or explicitly, by frustrated practitioners. It sounds bizarre, and demonstrates a monumental lack of empathy, but funnily enough it can often be right. Many communities don’t want to ‘develop’ according to someone else’s definition…
In the 19th century, Victor LeGrand created an orderly, geometric railway system for France which was designed to bring about the full integration of the country. This was reckoned to be far superior to the Prussian rail system, which was a hodgepodge of lines run by 50 different companies. The French system, known as the…
It’s good news that philanthropy in India is on an upward curve, since it can help supplement government’s efforts at social sector development. This upward curve is especially noticeable when it comes to giving by individuals. It’s not just the amount of giving that’s significant, however. Where it comes from and where it goes are…
By Saahil Kejriwal The discourse around philanthropy tends to focus on giving by High Net-Worth Individuals (HNIs) or companies, through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arms. However, data tells us that neither has seen a significant rise in India in the last few years, and there are few reasons to expect a dramatic change in…
PSJP’s recently published paper on Individual giving in India, Russia, the Arab region and Brazil is a timely reflection for us in Nepal. Individual giving has always been a part of Nepali communities mainly through our religious and cultural traditions. In the absence of a strong state presence particularly historically because of geographic isolation and…
New promise Thirty years ago, European philanthropy stood on the brink of new promise. The formation of the European Foundation Centre (EFC) on 9 November 1989 – the same day that the Berlin Wall fell – ushered in a new era for philanthropy as part of a vision for a new Europe. There was hope…
Smarinita Shetty points out the much-hyped but underwhelming contribution to philanthropy by the ultra-wealthy and CSR. Instead, Smarinita argues for greater attention to ‘smaller-ticket individual giving or retail giving’ to enable it to grow and develop appropriately so as to be able to support Indian civil society. India has no shortage of billionaires. We added…
June 2018 marked the launch of the Philanthropy in Brazil Report, a working paper produced by Philanthropy for Social Justice and Peace (PSJP), written by Caroline Hartnell and Andrew Milner. The final edition (Portuguese version) and distribution involved a partnership with the Brazilian Network on Philanthropy for Social Justice and WINGS. This work was largely…
In 2013 India enacted a new Companies Act to replace older legislation dating back from 1956, more than three decades before liberalisation in 1991. Although much amended already, it is still a far-sighted Act which attempts to break new ground on accountability – much needed given the trust deficit due to the large corporate-led scams…
‘Leadership for what? Leadership for whom?’ These questions seem to be uppermost in conversations with colleagues. We all seem to be feeling that we have not perhaps done enough, or are not doing enough, in our respective leadership roles to feel like we are making a difference. We are all constantly bombarded with books, articles,…