As we approach the two-years mark since the onset of COVID-19, countries around the world continue to struggle with the health and economic effects of the pandemic, many facing their third, and even their fourth wave of infections. However, within each country, not all areas have been affected with the same intensity, with some places considerably more vulnerable than … [Read more...] about Why has COVID-19 Affected Some Cities More Than Others?
What Drives Rural Migration in Latin American and the Caribbean?
The story of migration in Latin America and the Caribbean in the 20th and early 21st century is one of a mass exodus from rural areas to cities. Less than half of the population in the region lived in the cities in 1960. By 2016 that had soared above 80%. The motivations behind this mass movement are critical. While some rural migration is forced, driven by extreme … [Read more...] about What Drives Rural Migration in Latin American and the Caribbean?
Trust: A Critical Component of the Fight Against Air Pollution
While the COVID-19 pandemic has killed almost five million, more people die every year because of air pollution, which accounts for about one in five deaths worldwide. The problem, moreover, is especially acute in low- and middle-income countries, where exposure to high levels of air pollution affects 90 percent of the population. Given the substantial human and economic costs, … [Read more...] about Trust: A Critical Component of the Fight Against Air Pollution
“The Wire” as a Mirror of Intergenerational Inequality
Bunny Colvin, the policeman who invents Hamsterdam to alleviate the effects of drug trafficking in the imaginary Baltimore of the “The Wire,” appears in the fourth season of the series as a mediator who is trying to save some of the corner boys in the schools. Colvin ends up disappointed at how little education can do to avert those boys' self-fulfilling prophecy. Fortunately, … [Read more...] about “The Wire” as a Mirror of Intergenerational Inequality
Is Social Media Remaking Latin American Elections?
Social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp are becoming primary channels of political engagement in Latin America. Throughout the region’s democracies, large majorities of adults now report receiving or sharing political information on social networks. Ten years ago, only a tenth did so. The dramatic growth in social media’s political relevance cannot be overemphasized. … [Read more...] about Is Social Media Remaking Latin American Elections?