An increase in the proportion of women accessing microfinance services by just 15% could potentially reduce gender inequality, as measured by the Gender Inequality Index, by half in the average developing nation. The finding comes from a recent study published in Applied Economics Letters that also found that cultural characteristics can influence this relationship. Gender […] … learn more→

You might think comics are just packed full of superheroes, funny animals and silly jokes, and you wouldn’t be far wrong. But while the term “comic book” might also bring to mind something that is outdated and just for young kids, what you might not know is that comics are being used to great effect […] … learn more→

When, in 2015, I started my blog critically analysing marketisation, consumerism and audit culture in universities, I was aware that a large number of academic staff in anglophone universities seemed to be leaving the profession. I didn’t expect to be joining them quite this soon. Late last summer, for instance, Sara Ahmed very publicly resigned […] … learn more→

Since its invention around 100 B.C. in China, paper as a material for spreading information has greatly contributed to the development and spread of civilization. Even in today’s information age, with electronic media omnipresent in homes, offices and even our pockets, paper still plays a critical role. Our brains process information differently on paper and […] … learn more→

I write life for those who can catch it in a breath, in an exhale. Like one picks a fruit on a branch, like tearing out a root. – Asli Erdoğan, from Taş Bina ve Diğerleri. Until very recently, Turkey was the place to be. The country offered space for everyone: all shades of Islamists […] … learn more→

Just when I think higher education can’t become any more warped…it reaches a new level of dementedness. Let’s take a look: Old white academics are ‘unable’ to teach black students because they’re potentially racist, complain students People, even very educated people, say some pretty stupid things at times, but how exactly did this level of […] … learn more→

In August 2012, terrorist group, Boko Haram, reportedly hacked into Nigeria’s secret service and acquired private data on current and former personnel. In April 2016, a group calling itself “Anonymous” was able to hack into the database of the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and steal sensitive data. More recently, a number of South African […] … learn more→

While in the early stages of writing up my PhD I had a baby and now I find myself simultaneously immersed in academic journals and picture books, lab work and bum-wiping, searching for references and for tiny sun hats. Independently PhDs and babies can take over one’s life. When combined, everything from both of these […] … learn more→

Plants power life on Earth. They are the original food source supplying energy to almost all living organisms and the basis of the fossil fuels that feed the power demands of the modern world. But burning the remnants of long-dead forests is changing the world in dangerous ways. Can we better harness the power of […] … learn more→

US President Donald Trump’s election and his disdain for the mainstream media has been seen by some as the triumph of post-truth politics. Post-truth politics is a culture in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief. Not only is Trump deliberately picking wars with America’s […] … learn more→