In the end, that's a blind alley - we have to get back to being able to think on our feet and react.

In the end, that's a blind alley - we have to get back to being able to think on our feet and react.

Somewhere like Russia or China, decision-makers have far fewer constraints on acting than in more open systems.

When you get talking to people in positions of power, you find that often their worldview is framed either in terms of their disciplinary studies at university and/or the country where they first got interest in development.

The question, "When did you last listen to a poor person properly and try to understand what's going on inside their own experience?" enables you to connect.

When we do work in places like China and Vietnam, research tends to be really effective as a way of getting change, whereas in more open places, mobilization and the creation of public pressure through the media often seem to be the things we try.

In any system, there will be change happening without you.