Review: “Communities of Practice within and across Organizations. A Guidebook” (2nd edition) by Etienne Wenger-Trayner, Beverly Wenger-Trayner, Phil Reid and Claude Bruderlein Most books on organizational learning describe what communities of practice are. This one tells you how to run them. The second edition of the CoP Guidebook, co-authored by four practitioners across corporate, academic, … Read more
(TL:DR) Germany’s upcoming North South Commission sits at the intersection of two agendas: repositioning relations with the Global South and shaping a post‑2030 framework to succeed the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It can become a strategic platform for rethinking partnerships and global rules, but it also risks ending up as a narrowly framed, low‑impact … Read more
The Feminist Innovation in Monitoring and Evaluation (FIME) Small Awards have produced something very tangible for practitioners: six concrete toolkits that cover the full evaluation cycle, from policy design and crisis response to relocation, community projects, impact investing, and evaluator training. They were developed in real-world settings and respond to gaps most of us know … Read more
I wanted to honour the idea landscape that Jürgen Habermas left us for democracy, public debate, and evidence-informed policy and evaluation. Many of my senior colleagues trained in Germany are influenced by his work. For all others I produced a little Habermas Toolbox. A Tribute to a Philosopher Who Shaped How We Think About Science … Read more
What Is the Global Gateway? The EU Global Gateway is Europe’s flagship external investment strategy, aiming to build smart, clean, and secure connections in digital, energy, and transport sectors while strengthening health, education, and research systems worldwide. Originally targeting EUR 300 billion in mobilised investment by 2027, the strategy has already surpassed that goal, reaching … Read more
Key Takeaways from the 4th DC dVET BarCamp On 24 February 2026, practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and development partners gathered at the 4th BarCamp co-hosted by DC dVET and the International Labor Organization (ILO) to address a pressing question: how can we build resilient and sustainable financing models for dual vocational education and training (VET) in … Read more
(tl;dr) East Africa’s startup scene is booming – but many incubators and accelerators are stuck in a cycle of donor dependence, generic programmes and weak investor trust. A new William Davidson Institute study maps these system failures and, more importantly, presents 25 concrete solutions: from revenue-generating “acceleration as a service” and sector‑specific support, to venture … Read more
Economic inclusion programs are already reaching tens of millions of women, yet too many of these initiatives treat women as beneficiaries rather than co‑designers of change. The Partnership for Economic Inclusion (PEI) has mapped over 400 economic inclusion programs in 88 countries, benefiting more than 70 million people; 90 percent target women, but only about … Read more
In the midst of war, Ukrainian women are not only holding the fabric of society together – they are building the future of its economy. The webinar “Female Entrepreneurship in Times of War,” hosted on December 3, 2025, by the Secretariat of the Platform for the Reconstruction of Ukraine and Germany Trade and Invest GmbH, … Read more
As an organizational developer keenly focused on AI integration, I observe that civil society organizations (CSOs) globally are grappling with a complex, urgent task: defining clear, ethical, and practical positions on the use of artificial intelligence. This is not merely an IT challenge; it is a fundamental discussion about organizational values, risk tolerance, and future … Read more
Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has unveiled a new action plan, “Strong Partnerships for a Successful Economy Worldwide”, marking a major shift in the country’s development cooperation strategy. This plan, introduced by Federal Minister Alabali Radovan, aims to forge deeper ties between German businesses and development policy, blending commercial opportunities with … Read more
(tl:dr) EU aid for trade to least developed countries (LDCs) remains a critical aspect of the bloc’s development cooperation, aiming to address barriers to trade, foster economic growth, and contribute to poverty reduction. However, European Court of Auditors Special Report 17/2025 delivers a sobering assessment: needs are recognized and support is being delivered, but EU … Read more
