INEQUALITY

Nov 08 2024EDUCATION

Educational Fairness: What Matters in Benin Households

In Benin, kids' educational luck often depends on their gender and birth order, especially in homes with less-educated parents. A study found that 70% of the differences in education levels among siblings stem from these factors. However, in families where parents have college degrees, these effects

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Nov 06 2024HEALTH

Health Shocks: A Tougher Hit for the Less Healthy

Ever wondered how health shocks impact people differently depending on their initial health? To find out, researchers created a way to measure health continuously and monitor its changes over time, showing that poor health doesn't always bounce back from health setbacks. Standard models struggle to

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Nov 06 2024EDUCATION

Educational Fairness: How Gender, Birth Order, and Parents' Education Matter in Benin

In Benin, a study looked at how gender, birth order, and natural skills affect how much education kids in the same family get. They used two methods: a simple approach and a detailed model of how families divide their resources for education. The researchers found that in families where parents did

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Nov 06 2024FINANCE

Your Vote, Your Wallet: How Casting a Ballot Boosts Your Finances

Hey, did you know that your vote isn't just about politics? It's about money. Big money. Today, when you head to the polls, think about how that ballot can really change your financial future. Politicians talk a lot about "economic policy" and "fiscal responsibility. " But what does that really mea

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Oct 14 2024BUSINESS

Why Do Wealth Gaps Persist? Meet the Economists Who Found Out

On October 14, 2024, three U.S.-based economists won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. The winners, Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson from MIT, along with James Robinson from the University of Chicago, were recognized for their work on how institutions shape a country's wealth. Their research exp

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Oct 11 2024POLITICS

The Risk of Government Reliance

Imagine a country where more than half of all counties rely on government aid for a significant portion of their income. This might sound like a generous safety net, but it also raises questions about self-reliance and the future of our economy. In the past, politicians like Mitt Romney have pointe

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Oct 07 2024SCIENCE

The Power of Persistence: Insights from Nobel Laureates

The road to a Nobel Prize in Physics is often long and filled with obstacles, as illustrated by the experiences of laureates Andrea Ghez, Anne L'Huillier, and Donna Strickland. On average, it takes 28 years between publishing a discovery and receiving the prestigious award. Despite facing numerous s

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Sep 16 2024EDUCATION

The Great Back-to-School Debate: One Student's Struggle to Get the Education She Deserves

Imagine being 14 and feeling like you're stuck in limbo, with no clear path to education or a future. For Samantha, this is her reality. The teenager, who has autism and severe anxiety, is caught in a battle between her mother and Braintree Public Schools over her education. Despite her mother's eff

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Sep 15 2024FINANCE

Global Tax on the Super-Rich: A Step Towards a More Equitable World?

The world's richest nations have gathered in Rio de Janeiro to discuss a proposal to implement a global tax on individuals with over $1 billion in total assets. This 2% tax on the super-rich could generate $200 billion to $250 billion per year, funding essential public services like education, healt

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Sep 15 2024HEALTH

How a Mobile Health Train is Revolutionizing Healthcare in South Africa

In South Africa, a country with a deep-seated healthcare crisis, a unique solution has emerged: the Phelophepa health train. For the past 30 years, this mobile clinic has been traveling across the country, providing free medical attention to over 375,000 people annually. The train's impact is undeni

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