Serendipity to the rescue

One of 6,600+ people who come to GDRC's website every day, an online visitor is confronted with 15 programmes and approximately 130 sub-themes, 7,900 files, 42,000 links, and more ... talk about information overload!

But for GDRC, this volume of information simply represents the varied and interlinked research interests of its Virtual Fellows and Institutional Partners. However, keeping it updated, current and interesting is a never-ending and uphill task.

For the casual visitor, information packaging is all the more important. GDRC looses out a bit here, due to (1) lack of a strong search mechanism (besides the all-encompassing Google Search);and (2) lack of 'wrappers' or overviews/summaries that help contextualize and interlink info together.

Mmm ... more work to do, but so much more for Serendipity. And for the a-ha! to happen.

More than just imprints ...

Here's a serendipitous tag for you - footprints. Not the footprints-in-the-sand variety, but the imprint you leave on the planet as a result of resources consumed and wastes generated. The ecological overshoot that our lifestyles are generating is cause for much concern, and in fact the real starting point for sustainability action.

Forget global warning or CO2 emissions. To reduce our footprints, what information would you need? What decisions would you have to take? How can everyone be involved - rich and poor? What solutions - technology and skills - are out there? What can businesses and consumers do?

Read more about footprints at: http://www.gdrc.org/uem/footprints/index.html

Increasing Social Capital

Though not (yet) a part of GDRC's programmes, the concept of social capital is an interesting precondition to many of the themes and issues that are covered in its 15 programmes. Social capital is formed out of "the networks of relationships among persons, firms, and institutions in a society, together with associated norms of behavior, trust, cooperation, etc., that enable a society to function effectively."

Take microfinance - much of its success lies in the presence of social capital within the communities that use microfinance. Effective disaster risk reduction practices have succeeded in some communities, but failed in others - research has shown that success has depended on the level and strength of social capital in the community. Active involvement of the community in heritage and conservation efforts have also largely been affected by the pride that the community feels about their locality - another vote for its social capital.

And sustainable development itself - if it has to happen, will happen at the community level. And in the daily decisions and consumption patterns that we adopt. Concern for our neighbours, for the community and for future generations can easily be activated when social capital is high ...

Maybe its time for the Sustainable Development programme of GDRC to pick up this thread of thought and create a new feature page!

The Informality of Poverty

A serendipitous tag that always sticks to my mind is that of the informal economic sector - always there, invisible but necessary, and unsupported but functioning.

Much needs to be tagged to the sector - poverty alleviation, education and health, training and skill development, market development, but also social issues such as gender etc.

Recently, the informal sector also got mentioned in disaster management - how does the question of "business continuity" be asked of informal economic activities (when it is not recognized at all in the first place)? Considering that most of the people in the sector are from the lower economic rungs? No easy answers there, but needs exploring ...

See GDRC's programme page on the informal sector