In The News

Back to Normal? MIT Technology Review

Gideon Lichfield March 19, 2020
COVID-19 moves around the globe, disrupting economies. Outbreaks could continue through August. To battle the disease, communities practice self-isolation. The goal: Prevent a rush on hospitals. Imperial College London researchers urge monitoring intensive-care unit admissions like the weather, relying on extreme social distancing measures when admissions are high and pulling back when those are...

Social Distancing Saves Lives: MarketWatch

Matthew McQueen March 12, 2020
More than half the global population could eventually be infected with COVID-19, and the elderly and people with compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable. Sudden outbreaks can overwhelm health systems with limited staff, hospital beds and equipment. Already US testing capacity is stressed. To avoid disaster, public health experts advise avoiding large gatherings and maintaining social...

Apple, Google Crack Down on COVID-19 Apps: CNBC

Kif Leswing March 7, 2020
Major platforms like Apple and Google are restricting apps on the COVID-19 to those produced or approved by recognized governments and hospitals. “Four independent developers told CNBC that Apple rejected their apps, which would allow people to see stats about which countries have confirmed cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus,” reports Kif Leswing for CNBC. “Some of these apps used public data from...

Legalizing Abortion in Latin America: WSJ

Juan Forero March 6, 2020
After a lawyer filed suit to legalize abortion, the Constitutional Court of Colombia accepted the case to examine the issue – a breakthrough for Latin America where abortion is tightly restricted. While a few small countries including Uruguay, Cuba, and Guyana allow elective abortions, Colombia is the first regional power to consider legalizing abortion. Currently, the procedure is legal for...

Declining Fortunes of the Young: IMFBlog

Era Dabla-Norris , Carlo Pizzinelli and Jay Rappaport March 3, 2020
A key indicator of economic success for families is that children do as well as their parents. Such assumptions are less sure. “Despite being more educated than their parents, millennials – those born between 1980 and 2000 – may have less job stability during their working life,” explains a team for the IMFBlog. Entering and remaining in the middle class, fast-changing job requirements, intense...

Globalization and Extremism: New Internationalist

Helena Norberg-Hodge February 22, 2020
Extremism and authoritarianism are rising, and Helena Norberg-Hodge, writing for the New Internationalist, blames economic globalization. She writes about Ladakh, an area administered by India that opened to tourism and development in mid-1970s. With increased economic development and external funding, local farming went into decline. Competition for jobs increased, contributing to ethnic and...

To Hell With the Truth: Folha

Flavia Lima February 19, 2020
WhatsApp and other social media platforms increasingly influence public perceptions during election campaigns. A parliamentary committee in Brazil is examining the spread of misinformation on social media and finds disturbing trends, including a tendency for confirmation bias. A data analysis firm demonstrated how some Brazilian officials support misinformation on official social media accounts,...