Power in the Pandemic

This year, Oxfam's international journal Gender & Development turns 25. The UK Development Studies Association and Oxfam marked the occasion by convening a one-day seminar for feminist activists from academia and development practice to discuss bringing feminist values to development research, policy and practice. In this podcast five of these activists introduce themselves and their research, and explain why they are passionate about gender and development. Featuring: Lata Narayanaswamy, Ján Michalko, Mirna Guha, Rishita Nandagiri and Liliana Bastian.

In this podcast we speak to Amanda Klarer, the Responsible Farming Program Manager at Marcatus QED, who works with some of the world's leading and niche consumer brands to develop customised sourcing programmes, innovative products and sustainable supply chains. Marcatus QED is one of Unilever’s supply partners for their gherkin supply chain, and is part of the Enhancing Livelihoods Fund, a joint initiative between Oxfam, Unilever and the Ford Foundation. Amanda speaks to us about their innovative approach to educating smallholder farmers, especially women, and how the Marcatus Mobile Education Platform works to uplift livelihoods and create more sustainable supply chains.

Oxfam researchers Franziska Mager and Deborah Hardoon review 'Weapons of Math Destruction' by Cathy O'Neil, a book which describes the way that big data is being used to affect every aspect of our lives, leading to bias which increases inequality and threatens democracy.

As the world's water systems become more prone to salt, what are the methods and solutions available today to tackle this? And how should NGOs be using these technologies? A new report available next week gives a deep insight into the technologies currently available, the challenges and the contexts of what could work where.

 A summary of the report is available here: https://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/a-desalination-road-map-for-asia-an-overview-of-existing-and-emerging-desalinat-620448

We speak Tom Wildman from Oxfam, and the researchers behind the report from the University of California at Berkeley, Chinmayee Subban and Kate Boden.

How do you help empower women in a conflict zone? In South Sudan, Oxfam is pushing to help women make money through agriculture and small businesses, with the aim of boosting their ability to claim their rights in the household and community.Anne Daniel Ali, Director-General in the Ministry of Gender and Social Welfare in Wau State, joins Oxfam's Monica Fagila and Tim Bierley to discuss practical steps to make lasting change in South Sudan.

In our latest Book Banter episode, we review "Nudge: Improving decisions about health wealth and happiness", by Richard H Thaler and‎ Cass R Sunstein.

As part of Oxfam's Reward Work, Not Wealth report, data from a survey project of over 70,000 people in 10 countries was used. In this podcast, we speak to the researchers behind the research project, which was commissioned for Oxfam from Christopher Hoy at the Australia National University. They reveal people's perceptions of inequality, what they care about, what they want done about it, and give insight into how this data can be used for campaigning work.

 Download the research here: https://taxpolicy.crawford.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/publication/taxstudies_crawford_anu_edu_au/2018-01/complete_hoy_mager_jan_2018.pdf

Download Reward Work, Not Wealth:
https://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/publications/reward-work-not-wealth-to-end-the-inequality-crisis-we-must-build-an-economy-fo-620396

Safe to speak out: Tackling gender based violence in the digital age by The Oxfam Podcast

Last year saw the biggest increase in billionaires in history, one more every two days. This huge increase could have ended global extreme poverty seven times over. 82% of all wealth created in the last year went to the top 1%, and nothing went to the bottom 50%.

 In this podcast, we speak to the authors and advisers of a new Oxfam report "Reward work, not wealth", and discuss the links between inequality and poverty, as well as the solutions that governments and the private sector should adopt.