Using Cryptocurrency to Bring Work to Refugees
Start-ups are looking to create a gig economy in refugee camps through the use of blockchain technology, but will it work?
Development
Chronic Underfunding Is Turning Conservation Into a Rich Person's Profession
Today’s rising conservationists are at risk of being forced out of their career by trends, structures, and decisions they had no part in.
American South, Midwest See Gains in Housing Development
Dozens of American counties saw hundreds, if not thousands, of new units developed between 2015 and 2016.
The Transition From Traditional to Sustainable Farming Is a Financial Issue
A new briefing by the Global Canopy Programme outlines the struggles that farmers face in the move from traditional to sustainable farming.
Understanding India's Case for Colonial Reparations
Do egregious events from world history—specifically colonialism—warrant some sort of official reparations and, if so, what would these look like?
Can Science Save Development Aid?
Randomized controlled trials are the popular centerpiece of an emerging data-driven approach to figuring out precisely the best way to end poverty. Can a return to the scientific method fix the global aid industry?
When a Tiny Island Becomes a Tourist Destination
In 2011, 1,000 times more tourists visited Roatán than in 1969.
America's Power Plant Problem
More than 200 out of the 523 coal-fired power plants that were in operation five years ago are now closed or slated for closure. What should we do with them?
Has Development Turned Nairobi National Park Into a Glorified Zoo?
As fences spring up on all sides, a great wildlife reserve morphs into something much less great.
Don't Dismiss the Teens
The adults so fond of dismissing difficult teens might miss the irony that this is a distrusting and non-collaborative approach to their development.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker on Economic Development
As Scott Walker eyes the White House, fiscal austerity gets its day in court.
Should the One Percent Stop Hoarding So Much Cash?
A tax on excess cash holdings—for corporations as well at high-net-worth individuals—could help spur development.
What's the Legacy of the 2010 World Cup?
A fraction of one percent of FIFA's total profit from the tournament.
Migration in an Age of Growing Economic Inequality
A dispatch from the "Reinventing Older Communities: Bridging Growth & Opportunity" conference in Philadelphia.
Transit Oriented Boondoggle: The Problem With the Detroit Streetcar
Investment in any kind of transportation should aid production, not consumption.
Failure of Place and Economic Development
How economic developers mistakenly frame human capital issues.
Trust in Cities: Too Little Social Capital and Replacing Local Trust
An established political order blocks innovation and economic development; there's too much local trust, with individuals only doing business with those they know. Look at what happened in Detroit.
People Develop, Not Places: Considering Income Per Natural
Measuring the development of patches of Earth seems ridiculous. But that's exactly what we do. How might things differ if we measured income per natural instead of income per resident?
Is California About to Embark on a Gigantic New Experiment in Public Education?
Jerry Brown’s education plan asks, “Why not just give poor schools more state money—and authority over how to spend it?” His idea mirrors some of the most promising new theories of global development.
Why Chess Should Be Required in U.S. Schools
It's a game that motivates us to win, but also teaches us how to deal with defeat.
Building Cities With Sustainability in Mind to Cut Costs
Municipal waste — from poop to heat — can be a valuable resource that could run our cities more cheaply and sustainably, says a hands-on Canadian ecologist.
Delivering Good News on the Stork
Pushed by human development onto the endangered list, the American wood stork is wading back to its historical haunts in the swampy Southeast.