Week in Review

Hi all,

Welcome to the week in review. This week has been a busy and turbulent week and we are happy to share a selection of highlights with you.

Hurricane Sandy and the Failure of GDP (Policy Shop 01.11.2012)
The economic analysis of the impact of Hurricane Sandy highlights the limitations of GDP as an indicator of well-being. The recent hurricane, similar to hurricane Irene, will cause spikes in consumption as people stock up on supplies. This article highlights how GDP is impacted by natural disasters.

Millennium development goals – the key datasets you need to know (Guardian 31.10.12)
Around the world meetings, movements and discussions are being held about the post-2015 development agenda. The Guardian Data Blog has collected a series of databases measuring the progress of different countries towards the millennium development goals.

Twitter vs. Facebook: Bringing Transparency to the Middle East (World Bank Blog 01.11.2012)
The use of digital media in the wave of revolutionary uprisings that spread across the Middle East and North Africa in 2011 came to be known as the ‘social media revolution. This blog post explores the role that digital media can play in the democratisation of information and the decentralisation of power.

Quote: ‘Big Data doesn’t just hold the answers to what products and services people prefer to consume, but also holds information about how people are coping with global stresses like unemployment and natural disasters.’ UN Global Pulse on Big Data

Global Gender Gap Report 2012 (Report Release)
The 2012 Global Gender Gap Report, produced by the World Economic Forum, ranks 135 countries based on 14 indicators used to measure the size of a nation's gender gap in four key areas; economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.

Hope to see you again next week.

Yours in Progress,

Philippa Lysaght