Working in the international development sector is complex. From the outside, it can seem like an exciting, adventurous life – living in places that are perceived to be dangerous, or hard. But for humanitarian workers, it’s not always easy – especially for those working in conflict zones, or emergencies. Burnout and PTSD are common, and often left untreated.

It’s also common for humanitarian workers to ask themselves whether what they are doing is really helping. It can be easy to get caught up in the delivery of projects, and ignore the bigger questions about effectiveness, impact and ethics.

My guest today chose not to ignore those questions, and not to accept the status quo. Taking a sabbatical from her long career in the sector, Cornelia Walther decided to explore these questions in detail and has recently published the book: Development, humanitarian action and social welfare: Social change from the inside out.

Check out Cornelia's work here.

Cornelia is reading Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman