by David Sasaki | Jan 2, 2013 | English, Omidyar Network, Open Government, Work
The first time I paid a bribe in Mexico City I was caught off guard. Admittedly, I had broken the law. In 1989 the Mexico City government passed legislation which required that on every second Saturday of the month all vehicles with license plates ending in 7 were not allowed to circulate. And here I was, a newcomer to the city, a license plate ending with 7, and driving in unintended defiance of the law.
by David Sasaki | Dec 15, 2012 | English, Moleskinned
Vanity is the fear of appearing original: it is thus a lack of pride, but not necessarily a lack of originality. – Friedrich Nietzsche Vanity didn’t always carry its modern, negative connotation. Rather it conveyed mere futility, eventually transforming...
by David Sasaki | Dec 5, 2012 | English
It was a big weekend in Mexican history, one that I spent in blissful, disconnected ignorance with some friends in the mountainous jungle that surrounds Xalapa. Meanwhile, back in Mexico City some self-proclaimed anarchists were partying like it was 1999 — at...
![[Review] Triumph of the City](https://i0.wp.com/davidsasaki.name/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/5317800129_2c5099a022_z.jpg?resize=640%2C389&ssl=1)
by David Sasaki | Nov 20, 2012 | Book Review, English
One of those books that I read mostly in order to recommend it to others. I’m already part of the urbanist converted, and Glaeser is preaching to the choir. For those of you who are comfortably content in the suburbs, or wary of the chaotic hustle and bustle of...
![[Grant] Mexican Institute for Competitiveness](https://i0.wp.com/davidsasaki.name/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Screen-Shot-2013-01-02-at-4.46.PM_.jpg?resize=444%2C221&ssl=1)
by David Sasaki | Oct 23, 2012 | English, Work
This blog post is a summary of a $900,000 grant from Omidyar Network to the Mexican Institute for Competitiveness (IMCO) for general operating support over three years, with a special focus on the development of their Compara Tu Escuela platform. This information is...
by David Sasaki | Sep 26, 2012 | English
Mexico is debating a proposed labor reform that is dividing the country along the artificial dichotomy of pro-labor versus pro-business. In English, Mark Stevenson has an excellent summary of the context behind the proposed reform. In Spanish, Animal Politico has a...
![[Strategy] Open Cities](https://i0.wp.com/davidsasaki.name/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/233.jpg?resize=486%2C630&ssl=1)
by David Sasaki | Sep 18, 2012 | English, Work
I’d be a fool to think that I know best how my employer, Omidyar Network, should most effectively employ its resources to promote open government in Latin America. There are dozens if not hundreds of specialists who have much more experience and expertise than I...
![[Grant] Ciudad Móvil DF](https://i0.wp.com/davidsasaki.name/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Screen-Shot-2012-09-07-at-4.14.PM_.jpg?resize=740%2C432&ssl=1)
by David Sasaki | Sep 7, 2012 | English, Work
This blog post is a summary of a $40,000 grant from Omidyar Network to Aventura Capital Partners to support the 2012 edition of Ciudad Movil DF, an annual 48-hour hackathon in which programmers develop mobile applications using datasets from Mexico City government...
![[#imcociudades2012] How to Architect Smart, Sustainable Cities in Mexico](https://i0.wp.com/davidsasaki.name/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/34104997_8a2a39b3f4.jpg?resize=333%2C500&ssl=1)
by David Sasaki | Aug 15, 2012 | English, Work
Disclosure: I still feel strongly that it’s important for those of us who work in philanthropy to be as open and transparent as possible about our work. I have published summaries of most of the grants I have been involved in so far (the Latin American OGP civil...
![[Review] Let the Great World Spin](https://i0.wp.com/davidsasaki.name/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/231006spet11-1.jpg?resize=538%2C361&ssl=1)
by David Sasaki | Jun 13, 2011 | English
The world spins by ever faster, a phenomenon not just of growing older — accumulating our own extensive, personal archive — but also a product of every generation leaving behind more for us to chew on, despite the same amount of time to chew. We mostly survive by...
