Good with data: the Development Initiatives podcast

In the first mini-series of Good with data we explore one of the most important issues in global development today, the Leave No One Behind Agenda; what it means, why it matters, and how we can make it a reality by improving data and making best use of existing data and evidence.

In this episode, we discuss how data about risk can support efforts to leave no one behind in uncertain times and in fragile places. By this, we mean the risk of natural disasters, conflict, diseases and economic shocks resulting in sudden, dramatic and extensive changes to poverty and inequality beyond the individual or household level.
For international development actors, this means balancing what we know about who is left behind today with a forward-looking understanding of who may be vulnerable to shocks in the future. We’ve seen the importance of this all too clearly over the last couple of years, as global poverty reduction went into reverse amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our guests are:

• Harsh Desai, a Data and Policy Analyst for Crises and Fragility at the OECD, where among other things he contributes to the flagship States of Fragility report and oversees the production of the multidimensional fragility framework and States of Fragility platform.
• Roberto Schiano Lomoriello, Programme Management Officer at the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, where he covers Sub-Saharan Africa.

For more on this subject, read our blog: How can data enable effective risk management to mitigate the worst outcomes for people experiencing vulnerability and leave no one behind? And the Global Humanitarian Assistance Report 2021.

• Roberto recommended reviewing the outputs of the 7th Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, and reading the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction 2022 for an overall picture of global risk. He also encouraged us to think about how we all create risks in our daily lives, from our patterns of consumption to the way we build homes.
• Harsh encouraged listeners to think about the link between data production and use, ensuring the data we produce is having the impact that we want, and to read the OECD’s States of Fragility report.

Good with data is a production of Development Initiatives, a global organisation harnessing the power of data and evidence to end poverty, reduce inequality and increase resilience.

To stay up to date with our work, follow us on Twitter or Linkedin, visit our website, and register for email updates.

We value your feedback! If you have comments or ideas for the show please contact us. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave us a 5 star review wherever you listen.

In the first mini-series of Good with data we explore one of the most important issues in global development today, the Leave No One Behind Agenda; what it means, why it matters, and how we can make it a reality by improving data and making best use of existing data and evidence.

In this episode we discuss national data ecosystems, and why they are key to fostering a strong culture of data use to improve development policies and programmes that leave no one behind.

Our guests are:

• Elizabeth Birabwa Aliro, Programmes Manager at the Economic Policy Research Centre in Kampala, currently focused on strengthening Evidence Informed Decision Making in policy processes in Uganda;
• Papa Seck, Chief of Research and Data at UN Women, where he leads the organisation’s research and statistical work, including the Women Count global gender data programme.

For more on this subject, read our recent discussion paper on the role of national data systems and data to leave no one behind. An accompanying discussion paper looks specifically at the role of donor investment in strengthening national data ecosystems, and how they can better act on their data commitments. During the episode, we asked our panellists to share their recommendations for listeners to explore issues relating to national data ecosystems further:

• Elizabeth recommended two recent reports from the Economic Policy Research Centre: one on evidence diagnostic exercises in Uganda and Pakistan undertaken as part of the Strengthening Evidence Use for Development Impact programme; and another on the political economy of policymaking and the evidence ecosystem in the Humanitarian, Gender, and Family Planning sectors in Uganda.
• Papa recommended visiting data.women.org to view UN Women’s relevant resources, and encouraged all of us to consider how decisions based on data affect our lives, and to get involved to make sure that the data being used to make those decisions is good.

Good with data is a production of Development Initiatives, a global organisation harnessing the power of data and evidence to end poverty, reduce inequality and increase resilience.

To stay up to date with our work, follow us on Twitter or Linkedin, visit our website, and register for email updates.

We value your feedback! If you have comments or ideas for the show please contact us. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave us a 5 star review wherever you listen.

In the first mini-series of Good with data we explore one of the most important issues in global development today, the Leave No One Behind Agenda; what it means, why it matters, and how we can make it a reality by improving data and making best use of existing data and evidence.

After concluding our three-part mini-series on the Leave No One Behind Agenda, our colleagues at Paris 21 got in touch and suggested we apply our data and data systems thinking to one of the oldest and most pervasive inequalities around the world – gender inequality. We thought that was a great idea, so they joined us for a bonus episode exploring this issue and the data and analysis needed to ensure that no women and girls are left behind.

Our guests are:

• Fridah Githuku, Executive Director of GROOTS, a national movement of grassroots women-led community-based groups and Self Help Groups in Kenya.
• Emma Phiri, Gender Specialist at the Zambia Statistics Agency, a statutory body responsible for the publication of official statistics.
• Lauren Harrison, Data Ecosystems Lead at Paris 21, an organisation hosted which promotes the better use and production of statistics to achieve national and international development goals.

For more on the subject of inequality including with respect to gender, our briefing paper explores the relationship between inequality and poverty and some key indicators and associated data issues. An accompanying factsheet draws on this data to summarise recent global inequality trends. Lastly, this report gives an overview of funding for gender equality and women and girls in humanitarian crises.

During the episode, we asked our panellists to share their recommendations for listeners to explore issues relating to gender inequality further:

• Fridah recommended publications from UN Women’s Women Count programme; GROOTS Kenya’s Gender Data Dashboard; Equal Measures 2030’s SDG Gender Index; and Paris 21’s work with national statistical offices.
• Lauren recommended exploring the Clearinghouse for Financing Development Data which includes information on funding for gender statistics, and the Gender Data Network.

Good with data is a production of Development Initiatives, a global organisation harnessing the power of data and evidence to end poverty, reduce inequality and increase resilience.

To stay up to date with our work, follow us on Twitter or Linkedin, visit our website, and register for email updates.

We value your feedback! If you have comments or ideas for the show please contact us. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave us a 5 star review wherever you listen.

In the first mini-series of Good with data we explore one of the most important issues in global development today, the Leave No One Behind Agenda; what it means, why it matters, and how we can make it a reality by improving data and making best use of existing data and evidence.

In this episode we discuss inequality; the focus of SDG 10 and an issue that has risen up the international development agenda in recent years. But it’s one thing to acknowledge the problem, and quite another to know what to do about it.
Our guests are:

• Andrés Barrios Arenas, the National Coordinator of Nuestro Presupuesto (Our Budget), an initiative for people to analyse, understand and campaign for changes in state budgets in Mexico.
• Anda David, a Senior Researcher at the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) in charge of research programmes on inequality, poverty and international migration.
• Dr. Ellen Ehmke, a Senior Expert on Inequality at the Robert Bosch Stiftung.

For more on this subject, our briefing paper explores the relationship between inequality and poverty and some key indicators and associated data issues. An accompanying factsheet draws on this data to summarise recent global inequality trends. To learn why a concerted effort to understand inequality is so critical for development actors to realise the ambition of Agenda 2030, read our blog.

During the episode, we asked our panellists to share their recommendations for listeners to explore inequality issues further:

• Andrés recommended reading about the rights of indigenous peoples and the Mexican Zapatista movement.
• Anda recommended the short story The Great Silence, from the collection Stories of Your Life and Others, by Ted Chiang.
• Ellen recommended the documentary Dear Future Children, resources offered by the Fight Inequality Alliance and the Pathfinders initiative.

Good with data is a production of Development Initiatives, a global organisation harnessing the power of data and evidence to end poverty, reduce inequality and increase resilience.

To stay up to date with our work, follow us on Twitter or Linkedin, visit our website, and register for email updates.

We value your feedback! If you have comments or ideas for the show please contact us. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave us a 5 star review wherever you listen.

Good with data is a podcast about global development and the role of data. Our expert guests bring varied perspectives on how we can ethically and responsibly improve and use data - globally and within countries - to help overcome key challenges, from reducing poverty, inequality and the incidence and impacts of humanitarian crises, to reforming the global aid system or managing climate change. Data is vital for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals - as long as the data is good and you do good with data.

In the first mini-series of Good with data we explore one of the most important issues in global development today, the Leave No One Behind Agenda; what it means, why it matters, and how we can make it a reality by improving data and making best use of existing data and evidence.

Good with data is a production of Development Initiatives, a global organisation harnessing the power of data and evidence to end poverty, reduce inequality and increase resilience.
Episode 1 is coming soon, so stay tuned by subscribing to the show wherever you get your podcasts and following Development Initiatives on Twitter for the latest updates.