What we're reading
The Voltage Effect
"In The Voltage Effect, List explains that scalable ideas share a common set of attributes, while any number of attributes can doom an unscalable idea. Drawing on his original research, as well as fascinating examples from the realms of business, policymaking, education, and public health, he identifies five measurable vital signs that a scalable idea must possess, and offers proven strategies for avoiding voltage drops and engineering voltage gains."
Water: A Biography
"Writing with authority and brio, Giulio Boccaletti—honorary research associate at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford—shrewdly combines environmental and social history, beginning with the earliest civilizations of sedentary farmers on the banks of the Nile, the Tigris, and the Euphrates Rivers. Even as he describes how these societies were made possible by sea-level changes from the last glacial melt, he incisively examines how this type of farming led to irrigation and multiple cropping, which, in turn, led to a population explosion and labor specialization."
Scarcity: The New Science of Having Less and How It Defines Our Lives
"In this provocative book based on cutting-edge research, Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir show that scarcity creates a distinct psychology for everyone struggling to manage with less than they need. Busy people fail to manage their time efficiently for the same reasons the poor and those maxed out on credit cards fail to manage their money. The dynamics of scarcity reveal why dieters find it hard to resist temptation, why students and busy executives mismanage their time, and why the same sugarcane farmers are smarter after harvest than before."
Nudge: The Final Edition
"Since the original publication of Nudge more than a decade ago, the title has entered the vocabulary of businesspeople, policy makers, engaged citizens, and consumers everywhere. The book has given rise to more than 400 “nudge units” in governments around the world and countless groups of behavioral scientists in every part of the economy. It has taught us how to use thoughtful “choice architecture”—a concept the authors invented—to help us make better decisions for ourselves, our families, and our society."
The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design
"99% Invisible is a big-ideas podcast about small-seeming things, revealing stories baked into the buildings we inhabit, the streets we drive, and the sidewalks we traverse. The show celebrates design and architecture in all of its functional glory and accidental absurdity, with intriguing tales of both designers and the people impacted by their designs. Now, in The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to Hidden World of Everyday Design, host Roman Mars and coauthor Kurt Kohlstedt zoom in on the various elements that make our cities work, exploring the origins and other fascinating stories behind everything from power grids and fire escapes to drinking fountains and street signs."
Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence
"This guide reveals how writers can utilize cognitive storytelling strategies to craft stories that ignite readers’ brains and captivate them through each plot element. Imagine knowing what the brain craves from every tale it encounters, what fuels the success of any great story, and what keeps readers transfixed. Wired for Story reveals these cognitive secrets—and it’s a game-changer for anyone who has ever set pen to paper."
Tools
Emergency Toolkit - Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
(CARE)
A comprehensive guide designed to assist in humanitarian crises, providing resources and strategies for effective involvement and support in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) emergencies.
Global Water Center
(GWC) - Learning Services
The Global Water Center provides world-class training and curriculum development to professionalize the water sector, collaborating with leading WASH organizations and technical institutions to increase the capacity of WASH organizations and ensure a sustained supply of safe water to the most vulnerable.
Kobo
Toolbox
A free and open-source data collection platform that can help WASH organizations to conduct surveys, monitor projects, and visualize data in challenging settings.
Digital Data Collection
(mWater)
mWater is a company that provides a free and open source data platform for water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) organizations, as well as technical assistance and training to improve WASH services in low-resource settings.
WASH Health Data Exchange
(Whdx)
WHdx provides a free and open source data platform for WASH in health facilities, as well as technical and financial support from various partners.
Water Point Data Exchange
(Wpdx)
WPdx provides a free and open-source data platform for water point data, as well as decision support tools and technical guidance to improve water services in rural areas
WASH in Healthcare Facilities
(WASH FIT)
WASH FIT is a quality improvement tool for health care facilities that covers various aspects of services, such as water, sanitation, hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, and health care waste management, and incorporates climate, gender, and infection prevention considerations.
Libraries and Repositories
WASH in Healthcare
Facilities
Save the Children
Resource Center
USAID Global Water
Resource Library
Joint Monitoring Program
(JMP)
PRO-WASH
Food Security and Nutrition Network
UN Water
GLASS
Reports and Resources Archive
CARE
CAWST
Publications
RWSN
Rural Water Supply Network
MWA Publications
Publications by MWA
Learning papers, District Wide Approach, Positions Papers, Self-Supply resources, Reports