By John Hoffmire In a recent column, I asked readers to write in with ideas about how full employment would influence the debate about inequality in the U.S. Since the column was published, eradicating poverty and trying to address inequality have been even more ever present in the spotlight as issues to be addressed in
In the past 10 years, rates of extreme poverty have been halved, from 15.7% in 2010 to 7.7% in 2019, according to statistics from the World Bank and World Poverty Clock. Although this is not enough, it still demonstrates a significant global accomplishment. In 1990, extreme poverty was defined as subsisting on one dollar per day.
Social Security policy is unsustainable in its current form. What has consumed a significant portion of America’s paychecks and helped sustain a significant portion of America’s seniors is destined for change. In 2019, the trustees of the Social Security program released a report predicting that all of the trust fund’s reserves would run out by
A “necessity entrepreneur” is an individual who starts a business not because they recognize an opportunity to make money, but because there is no other option to make a living. Sadly, billions of people in the developing world with little access to education or reliable jobs are in this position. Their microbusinesses are often simple.
The number of men who had DNA tests administered for themselves and at least one of their children rose by 64 percent last decade, according to The New York Times. The DNA tests confirm whether or not a man is unknowingly raising another man's child. More than 400,000 men had DNA tests administered in one
Individual debt, in all forms, is on the rise, and the staggering accumulation is having unforeseen and unintended consequences. To back up the claim that debt is rising, we point to outstanding credit card debt in the U.S., which is over $1 trillion for the first time. Combine this with poor personal financial management skills
Hospitalizations for several common diseases—including septicemia (serious bloodstream infection), fluid and electrolyte disorders, renal failure, urinary tract infections, and skin and tissue infections—have been linked for the first time with short-term exposure to fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5), according to a comprehensive new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. In addition, the study found that
An international team co-led by an Oregon State University chemistry researcher has uncovered a better way to scrub carbon dioxide from smokestack emissions, which could be a key to mitigating global climate change. Published today in Nature, the findings are important because atmospheric CO2 has increased 40 percent since the dawn of the industrial age,
All over the world, especially in developed countries, farmers and consumers are forming communities that revolve around food grown locally, yet in Africa, traditional or local agriculture is not given the full recognition it deserves, to promote the survival of the local farmer and also to sustain the economy. Food has always played a fundamental
Climate and environmental problems are the main focus of the new multiannual EU budget proposed by the European Commission after 2020, which is reflected in the common agricultural policy (CAP), EURACTIV Poland reports. The European Commission presented a proposal for the framework of the CAP beyond 2020 on 1 June 2018, one month after the
In a new study published today in Nature Climate Change, scientists show how specific wave patterns in the jet stream strongly increase the chance of co-occurring heatwaves in major food producing regions of Northern America, Western Europe and Asia. Their research finds that these simultaneous heatwaves significantly reduce crop production across those regions, creating the
Alleviating poverty is a worthy endeavor pursued by many organizations. However, studies show that in some cases there are unintended negative impacts upon the environment. The goal to alleviate poverty without environmental damage can be challenging. For example, an organization might teach improved farming techniques and assume that if followed the effects will be positive.
Imagine you are in a business course and are given the following scenario: Your marketing department has found an opportunity for your business. It has identified a clear problem that, with research, time and heavy investment your company can solve. This solution comes with the caveat that you will be creating a product for a
In theory, employee ownership through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) is an almost perfect idea, since it benefits employees and businesses equally and simultaneously. Shares are allocated to, rather than purchased by, the employees, which puts ownership within the grasp of many who might never own a business otherwise. Employees have a strong incentive
It is amazing how much change can be caused by one person’s idea. The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) is a result of Jorn Lyseggen’s believe that with guidance and support people can achieve remarkable results. Established by the non-profit Meltwater Foundation, MEST developed its program in Accra, Ghana in 2008 as an effort
The 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded to Esther Duflo, Abhijit Banerjee, and Michael Kremer for their “experimental approach to alleviating global poverty”. This is an important turn of events partly because of the enormity of the problem that they and others are trying to address. In 2019, there are still more than 550
All societies have problems. I am sure this is not a shock to anyone. Neighbors have disputes, poverty exists and inequality grows. Simply put, if each individual of a society is imperfect, so too is society, and since no one is perfect, we each play a part in making society imperfect. And like people, institutions
The beacon of development often conjures up images of radical innovations, disruptive models, and leapfrog technologies. And yet, as nations attempt to embrace the promises of development, there is often a disconnect between imagination and execution in providing for even the most basic of human needs. Measurable social change, ensuring a degree of social equity
In September 2015, at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in New York, new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted. These SDGs address a comprehensive range of issues, from poverty, health and hunger to gender equality, climate change and energy. Some parts of the world have now re-oriented themselves toward achieving the vision of a
George Clason, in his classic book titled "The Richest Man in Babylon," wrote this line: “A part of all I earned was mine to keep.” In the 1950s, a lawyer named Louis Kelso coined the term “Employee Stock Ownership Plan” (ESOP). The intent of ESOPs is to significantly increase employee incentives and productivity, while giving
