01. The (Not So Grand) Opening

Hi there, friend and stranger. This is Mario Picon, director of the Governance Action Hub. Soon I will reach a landmark milestone in my personal journey. Some people have a midlife crisis; instead, I started an open journal. It is cheaper, and, hopefully, more meaningful.

While preparing for a career centered around macroeconomic programming, a single fieldwork to the Amazon forest changed the course of my career. I understood that I was, and would always be, a development worker, with all the historical load (auras, stigmas and more) attached to that title. And those of us in development are going through arguably the most consequential rethinking process of who we are and what our mission is. What we do with this moment is totally up to us.

I am also a teacher, or at least an aspiring one. Over the last few years, I have led the core seminar on Development Challenges, every Spring at the University of Maryland, proudly following in the footsteps of my own teachers, like Carol Graham or David Crocker.

But most importantly, I am also a father, pondering, probably like many of you, what legacy I will leave to my daughters in a world with both so much injustice and so much solidarity coexisting.

This journal is not about what the Governance Action Hub does, but about the governance and future of the development space. It is mainly geared to young activists, public sector officials and entrepreneurs interested in shaping the field ahead, learning from the past, leveraging new tools, finding and seizing windows of opportunity for change.

Hence, this space is not only for development workers or academics, but for anyone pondering ‘How can I contribute and collaborate with others, from my position, my country, my context, in overcoming some of the biggest challenges of our time?’.

We will highlight amazing stories of people with purpose, but as importantly, focus on opportunities to collaborate and get things done. If you find it useful as we move forward, please share your thoughts, and invite a friend to follow.

I cannot promise you content that will be relevant to you, personally, every week, but I can promise you that we will challenge each other constantly to move forward.

Aside from the sporadic personal story connected to the issues at hand, the focus of the posts ahead are others, not me. References and links will be included as much as possible so you can deep dive into the issues or stories. Feel free to share your own story, or suggest people and organizations doing great work around governance, climate or democracy around the world, or consider joining The Governance Explorers Network.

If you were expecting a Grand Opening, sorry to disappoint. Now let’s move forward.

Sincerely,

Mario

Read the next Journal 02. Governance for Whom?