Introduction to My Blog
Hi everyone and welcome to Youthink! I'm excited to be part of the Youthink! blog, which I hope will be a wonderful way for all of us to share our ideas of how we see, and hopefully can shape, the world around us. I’ve been blogging on international politics, economics, and development on my personal site (http://blog.zzzeitgei.st/) with young scholars for some time. With my training in anthropology and development, much of my work and research is focused on issues facing young people throughout the world. My time living throughout Asia has shaped my beliefs on the importance of local and community efforts in spurring development and shaping our own shared future.
In all of my time in Asia (pretty much everywhere minus Afghanistan), I was most struck by how even the most mundane aspects of daily life in the developing world are shaped by decisions and policies made all over the world. We may not always see how or think this is the case, but prying a little deeper into how our world operates can show just how truly connected our lives are.
The international policy discussions that make up newspaper headlines often seem inaccessible and irrelevant to those furthest removed from the halls of Washington, DC. But in reality, the policies shaped here have very real effects for the developing world. It is this murky intersection between policy and practice, micro and macro, and urban and rural that I hope my blogging can spur discussion on. Because at the end of the day, a frank and open discussion is what’s most needed. I hope to be a part of this with all of you.
Comments
Hello! My name is Denisse,
Hello! My name is Denisse, I'm from Nicaragua but living in Bolivia for a while. I find really interesting an important what you say about the misunderstanding there seems about the way politics (from both developed and developing countries) influence the simple things we face in our daily life. I find a couple of reasons for that happening: one might have a life pleasant enough not to care about, one can get too used to globalization, local politicians could work only for their own well being, one could be uninformed,or one can really just be struggling to survive. But no matter how, the result seems to be a lack of interest and participation in the processes that go through shapping our lives. I do believe that even the best sense of citizenship should go beyond reading the paper, talking about it and protesting. It has to do with building the society one wishes for, but I am still trying to figure out concretely how. However, I believe it starts with the knowledge and understanding of that connection and mechanism, where are we on it and how can we make it work properly.
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