Why inequality is growing in the US and around the world

Fatema Z. Sumar, Harvard Kennedy School U.S. income inequality grew in 2021 for the first time in a decade, according to data the Census Bureau released in September 2022. That might sound surprising, since the most accurate measure of the poverty rate declined during the same time span. But for development experts like me, thisContinue reading “Why inequality is growing in the US and around the world”

Japan’s ‘waste not, want not’ philosophy has deep religious and cultural roots, from monsters and meditation to Marie Kondo’s tidying up

Kevin C. Taylor, University of Memphis The word “waste” is often frightening. People fear not making the most of their time, whether at work or at leisure, and failing to live life to the fullest. Warnings against waste run especially deep in Japanese culture. Many Americans are familiar with the famous decluttering technique of organizationContinue reading “Japan’s ‘waste not, want not’ philosophy has deep religious and cultural roots, from monsters and meditation to Marie Kondo’s tidying up”

It’s time to take Kim Jong Un and his nuclear threats seriously

Sung-Yoon Lee, Tufts University As the West frets over the possibility of Vladimir Putin turning to nuclear weapons in Ukraine, there is a risk that similar threats posed by another pariah leader are not being treated as seriously – those of North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. The isolationist East Asian nation has conducted seven nuclear-capableContinue reading “It’s time to take Kim Jong Un and his nuclear threats seriously”