Mega Millions Jackpot at $750 Million – Where Does All The Lottery Tax Revenue Really Go?
In the middle of the 20th century, when lotteries first started in the U.S., they were sold to states as a benefit to the American public. That suggests that bigger and bigger jackpots should mean more tax dollars to spend on public services like education.
4 Steps To Teacher Recovery from Compassion Fatigue and Burnout
The teachers are not alright. As families across Canada juggle a variety of states of lockdown due to COVID-19, many teachers continue to voice concerns that government plans to keep students and teachers safe in schools are inadequate.
'Successful Failures' – The Problem with Food Banks
Food banks have morphed from “emergency to industry” – lauded for reducing food insecurity and helping to solve the food waste problem by diverting tonnes of produce from landfill.
The Less Equal We Become, The Less We Trust Science, and That's a Problem
In mid November 2020, South Dakota emergency room nurse Jodi Doering tweeted her experience of caring for dying patients.
Will Coronavirus Turn Cities Into Doughnuts: Empty Centres But Vibrant Suburbs
The most COVID-19 lockdowns were accompanied by sobering news from the UK’s high streets. Many of the closures are concentrated in city centres. But beyond the city core, there remains the prospect that smaller town centres and suburban high streets might emerge stronger in 2021...
How Remote Learning Is Making Educational Inequities Worse
The widespread reliance on remote learning is harming students of color from low-income households more than kids who are from more affluent families.
Why Nursing Home Aides Exposed to COVID-19 Aren’t Taking Sick Leave
The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated America’s nursing homes, but the reasons aren’t as simple as people might think.
Data From 45 Countries Show Containing COVID vs. Saving The Economy Is A False Dichotomy
There is no doubt the COVID-19 crisis has incurred widespread economic costs. There is understandable concern that stronger measures against the virus, from social distancing to full lockdowns, worsen its impact on economies.
New Research Shows Immigration Has Only A Minor Effect On Wages
The notion that immigration impacts wages or employment is largely based on a simplistic analysis of supply and demand. The idea is that immigration increases the supply of labour and, if everything else holds constant, this results in lower wages. But the world is not this simple.
What Is The Gold Standard and Why Should It Remain In History's Dust Bin?
The phrase “the gold standard” means, in common parlance, the best available benchmark – as in double-blind randomized trials are the gold standard for determining the efficacy of a vaccine.
The US Has Turned Its Back On Skilled Migrants, Giving Australia and Others An Opening
The outgoing Trump administration presided over one of the most dramatic tightenings in US immigration policy since the 1930s.
Universal Basic Income Helped Kenyans Weather COVID-19 - But It’s Not A Silver Bullet
The coronavirus pandemic is having devastating socio-economic effects on people in many parts of the world. Could distributing a universal basic income – a modest, unconditional stipend that gives individuals enough money to get by – help people weather crises like this?
Negative Interest Rates Could Be Coming. What Would This Mean For Borrowers and Savers?
Those turning to unconventional monetary policy include Japan, Switzerland and the European Union. Negative rates range from –0.1% to –0.8% for selected tiers of central bank deposits.
Up To 40% Of Retail Space Is Not Needed – Here's What Can Be Done With It
COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc on retailers. Since tough new restrictions were introduced in parts of the UK during October 2020, footfall on high streets, shopping centres and out-of-town retail parks has fallen
Why Republicans and Others Concerned About The Economy Have Reason To Celebrate Biden In The White House
On day one, a newly inaugurated President Joe Biden will have to address a devastated economy – much like he and former President Barack Obama did a decade ago.What can the country expect?
A "Climate Change Curriculum" To Empower The Climate Strike Generation
While in class, children shouldn’t feel their time is wasted. Primary school teachers have an ethical responsibility to bring climate change into their classrooms and they’re well placed for the task.
Supportive Housing Is Cheaper Than Chronic Homelessness
It costs the state government more to keep a person chronically homeless than it costs to provide permanent supportive housing to end homelessness, our recent research shows.
Hispanics Live Longer Than Most Americans -- Will The US Obesity Epidemic Change That?
Anti-immigrant sentiments have fueled recent national and state-level health policy efforts. In 2019, Donald Trump signed a presidential proclamation that would deny visas to immigrants who could not provide proof of insurance.
Is Disney’s Pivot To Streaming A Sign Of Covid Economic Crises Still To Come?
Disney has announced a significant restructuring of its media and entertainment business, boldly placing most of its growth ambitions and investments into its recently launched streaming service,
How Urban Planning Can Be A Tool of White Supremacy
Segregation in Minneapolis, like elsewhere in the U.S., is the result of historic practices such as the issuing of racialized real estate covenants that kept nonwhite people from buying or occupying land.
What To Do About Coronavirus Pushing People Into Poverty
The rapid spread of COVID-19 across developing countries has led to a devastating loss of life and livelihoods. The pandemic is having both immediate economic effects and long-lasting consequences on development.
Why Schools Often Fail To Identify Gifted and Talented Students
About a decade ago, I was working with a large, urban school district on creating a gifted and talented program that would include all kids, regardless of their race or income.
Why Vulnerable Workers Have Been Hit Hardest By The Pandemic
Deprived communities and the most vulnerable in society are bearing the brunt of hardship in the pandemic.
How Covid-19 Will Change Holiday Shopping
Autumn has just gotten underway, but retailers are already hard at work preparing for the 2020 holiday shopping season, made more difficult this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
How Even A Casual Brush With The Law Can Permanently Mar A Young Man's Life – Especially If He's Black
A coalition of advocacy organizations, criminal justice reform advocates and everyday citizens have called for cities to take a wide range of actions to reduce the power and authority of local police departments.
8 Ways Your Life Could Be Affected if Republicans Cancel Obamacare
More than 10 years after its passage, the Affordable Care Act once more hangs in the balance. There have been plenty of near misses before, including previous Supreme Court appearances and Congressional votes.
If We Realized The True Cost of Homelessness, We'd Fix It Overnight
The moratorium on evictions is due to end soon. (In Australia, it is scheduled for the end of September 2020). Some states have extended the moratorium, but when it ends that’s likely to force even more into housing insecurity and outright homelessness.
How Ruth Bader Ginsburg Helped Shape The Modern Era Of Women's Rights
Even before her appointment, she had reshaped American law. When he nominated Ginsburg to the Supreme Court, President Bill Clinton compared her legal work on behalf of women to the epochal work of Thurgood Marshall on behalf of African-Americans.
Will Chrystia Freeland Lead A Feminist Post-Coronavirus Recovery?
With Chrystia Freeland now holding the reins of the ministry of finance and Canada’s post-pandemic recovery plan, it’s time to ask whether the first woman — and feminist — to lead the portfolio will push for significant advances for gender equality.
How Pandemic Learning Pods May Undermine The Promises of Public Education
With schools reopening after COVID-19 closures, concerns about the safety and certainty of public schooling have driven some parents to consider alternatives to sending kids back to brick-and-mortar classrooms.
How The Civil War Drove Medical Innovation – And The Pandemic Could, Too
The current COVID-19 pandemic, the largest public health crisis in a century, threatens the health of people across the globe.
The Real Story Behind The Iconic South Sea Bubble Financial Crash
Coronavirus has caused a great deal of stock market turbulence and, somewhat inevitably, comparisons have been made to the volatility caused by the South Sea Bubble 300 years ago.
Energy Is A Basic Need, And Many Americans Are Struggling To Afford It
Several months into the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, lower-income families are struggling to pay their energy bills.
How Retaking The SAT Could Get More Students To College
Eliminating disparities in retake rates could close up to 10% of the income-based gap and up to 7% of the race-based gap in four-year college enrollment rates of high school graduates, findings of the working paper suggest.
How Facial Recognition Technology Is Flawed and Biased Racially
Detroit police wrongfully arrested Robert Julian-Borchak Williams in January 2020 for a shoplifting incident that had taken place two years earlier.
How The US Postal Service Created A Common Bond That Helped Stamp An Identity On America
Reports suggest that Trump appointees are trying to sabotage the service to limit its capacity to process mail-in ballots before the coming November election. This has led to an outcry on behalf of the nation’s most popular government agency.
Now Health Care Should Shift Focus From Treatment To Prevention
COVID-19 has placed a spotlight on the inequities of Canada’s current “curative” health-care system and the problems associated with viewing health policy in isolation from social factors.
Why The Pandemic Is An Opportunity To Change Our Health Behaviour For Good
A return to pre-pandemic normal life seems impossible for the foreseeable future. In the absence of control measures, it would result in the rapid spread of coronavirus and many deaths.
Rapid Screening Tests That Prioritize Speed Over Accuracy Could Be Key To Ending The Pandemic
Broad access to testing is one of the most powerful tools to keep the COVID-19 pandemic under control until there’s an effective vaccine in use.
The US Economy Is Reliant On Consumer Spending – Can It Survive A Pandemic?
The COVID-19 pandemic has radically affected the American economy, reducing spending by American households on materials goods, air travel, leisure activities as well as the use of automobiles.
Movie Theaters Are On Life Support – How Will The Film Industry Adapt?
As deaths have continued to climb, so have studio losses, with crowded theaters – once a source of collective entertainment and escapism – now seen as petri dishes for the virus.
100 Days Without Covid-19: How New Zealand Got Rid Of A Virus That Keeps Spreading Across The World
On Sunday, New Zealand marked 100 days without community transmission of COVID-19. From the first known case imported into New Zealand on February 26 to the last case of community transmission detected on May 1, elimination took 65 days.
Healthcare Consultations In The Digital Age – Are Carebots Up To The Job?
Research shows that doctors who offer empathic and positive messages can reduce a patient’s pain, improve their recovery after surgery and lower the amount of morphine they need.
5 Ways To Reboot The Global Food Economy To Make It Healthier For All
COVID-19 has shown how damaging ill-health can be for the economy. But it has also shown how measures that benefit health (lockdowns) can be seen as bad economic prosperity. A similar paradox is at the heart of promoting better diets.
The Fight Against Inequality Is As Old As America Itself
Americans are increasingly worried about the rising tide of economic inequality, as fewer control more wealth. But fears of great wealth and the need for economic equality go back to the country’s origins.
Why Coronavirus Outbreaks Are Inevitable If Schools Reopen In Many Areas
As school boards across Ontario consider reopening in September, parents worry about two things: Will my children and I be safe, and will my children learn appropriately?
Why Sweden's Approach To Coronavirus Is Misunderstood And Not To Be Followed
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought once-in-a-generation destruction to the lives and livelihoods of people around the world.
5 Graphs That Show How Uncertain Markets Are About The Coronavirus Recovery
Financial markets can tell us a lot about the economic recovery ahead, based on their direction of travel and how confident investors feel about the future.
The Pandemic Has Blown The Tires Right Off That Old Debt Truck
Symbolic reminders, as if anyone needed them, that Victoria holds the key to whether the dire budget numbers Frydenberg presented on Thursday represent the floor under this crisis, or they’re just a prelude to an even scarier set.
A Tale Of Two Coffee Farmers: How They Are Surviving The Pandemic In Honduras
I am a third-generation member of a farming family in Honduras. I fondly remember getting up before dawn every day and riding several miles on the back of a mule to join in the family coffee harvest.
To Reduce World Hunger, Governments Need To Think Beyond Making Food Cheap
According to a new United Nations report, global rates of hunger and malnutrition are on the rise. The report estimates that in 2019, 690 million people – 8.9% of the world’s population – were undernourished.
Coronavirus Shows The Dangers Of Letting Market Forces Govern Health And Social Care
In March, 10,000 NHS staff signed a letter to UK prime minister Boris Johnson demanding better protection against COVID-19.
These Communities Are Experimenting With Greener And Fairer Ways Of Living
Frankie lives in a six-bedroom house on the outskirts of Leeds. She is her own landlord, but doesn’t own the house. Instead she is part of a co-operative housing group:
The New Economic Thinking We Need For Recovery
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is calling the coronavirus-induced economic crisis “the Great Lockdown”. The phrase mimics the Great Depression of the 1920s and the Great Recession that followed the 2007-08 global financial crisis.
Modern Monetary Theory: The Rise Of Economists Who Say Huge Government Debt Is Not A Problem
There is no limit to the quantity of money that can be created by a central bank such as the Bank of England. It was different in the days of the gold standard, when central banks were restrained by a promise to redeem their money for gold on demand.
The Sun Is Setting On Unsustainable Long-haul, Short-stay Tourism — Regional Travel Bubbles Are The Future
Unprecedented border closures and the domestic lockdown have paralysed New Zealand’s $40.9 billion a year tourism industry.
How Racism In US Health System Hinders Care And Costs Lives Of African Americans
As the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the U.S., the virus hit African Americans disproportionately hard. African Americans are still contracting the illness – and dying from it
To Fight US Racism, Research Prescribes A Nationwide Healing Process
As the U.S. prepares to celebrate another year of its independence, the country is paying renewed attention to the founders, and how their legacy of slavery is linked to systemic racism.
Black Americans, Crucial Workers In Crises, Emerge Worse Off
On June 19, 1865 – 155 years ago – black Americans celebrating the day of Jubilee, later known as Juneteenth, may have expected a shot at real opportunity.
How Remote Work Worsens Inequality
The importance of remote work, also known as telecommuting, is evident during the current COVID-19 crisis.
Rural America Is More Vulnerable To COVID-19 Than Cities Are, And It's Starting To Show
Rural areas seemed immune as the coronavirus spread through cities earlier this year. Few rural cases were reported, and attention focused on the surge of illnesses and deaths in the big metro areas.
3 Reasons Why COVID Has Changed The Way We Shop, Perhaps Forever
It’s wrong to expect a “snap-back” at shopping centres, food courts, cinemas and other places where people used to gather to spend money.
Why Reopening Schools Requires Major Caution
A new analysis stresses the need for caution when when reopening America’s schools.
The Politics Behind How Governments Control Coronavirus Data
Each government has responded differently to the coronavirus pandemic — including how data on the disease have been shared with each country’s citizens.
Why The Day Is Dawning On A Four-Day Work Week
As we near the 100-day mark since the pandemic was declared, one area getting a significant attention is the workplace, where a window is opening for good ideas to move from the fringes to the mainstream.
Why In-person Retail Therapy May Be Gone For Good
Retail isn’t going back to normal, says a professor of marketing and psychological science.
How Pandemics Past And Present Fuel The Rise Of Mega-corporations
In June 1348, people in England began reporting mysterious symptoms. They started off as mild and vague: headaches, aches, and nausea.
What Is Modern Monetary Theory?
There is a school of thought among economists who aren’t worried about the so called “budget black hole”, where tough choices have been called for to reduce government spending.
Coronavirus-related Debt Will Live In Digital Profiles For Years
Long after the COVID-19 health emergency ends, many Americans will still suffer from the long tail of the pandemic’s economic devastation.
Shuttered Canada-US Border Highlights Different Approaches To The Pandemic – And Differences Between The 2 Countries
The United States and Canada have long enjoyed a stable relationship. The countries share history, the longest nonmilitarized international border in the world, and strong economic ties.
What We Know And What We Need To Learn As We Exit Lockdown
As lockdowns ease, scientists worldwide are engaged in an unprecedented search for new therapies and a race for vaccine development.
Five Ways Online University Learning Can Be Better Than Face-to-face Teaching
The University of Cambridge has announced that all lectures will be offered online for the academic year beginning in October 2020.
Herd Immunity In Europe – Are We Close?
While no country claims to be pursuing herd immunity as a strategy, some – such as Sweden – have taken a more relaxed approach to containing the coronavirus.
Is Your Neighborhood Raising Your Coronavirus Risk?
The 1-square-mile neighborhood mixes small, ranch-style homes with auto body shops, metal fabricators and industrial supply warehouses, and is hemmed in on its four sides by state highways and interstates.
Why Recessions Scar Young People Their Entire Lives, Even Into Retirement
It is well-established that recessions hit young people the hardest. We saw it in our early 1980s recession, our early 1990s recession, and in the one we are now entering.
4 Ways Economic Crisis Can Change Things For The Better
It is common to hear people say that the epoch of enormous economic progress which characterised the last century is over.
Which Would Be Worse Right Now Inflation Or Deflation?
Inflation among the 37 member states of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) fell from 2.3% in February to 1.7% in March.
Why You Might Actually Enjoy Life In A Degrowth Economy
The orthodox answer is that a bigger economy is always better, but this idea is increasingly strained by the knowledge that, on a finite planet, the economy can’t grow for ever.
How Death Ships Have Spread Disease Through The Ages
One of the haunting images of this pandemic will be stationary cruise ships – deadly carriers of COVID-19 – at anchor in harbours and unwanted. Docked in ports and feared.
Medieval Europe's Waves Of Plague Also Required An Economic Action Plan
The Black Death (1347-51) devastated European society. Writing four decades after the event, the English monk and chronicler, Thomas Walsingham, remarked that “so much wretchedness followed these ills that afterwards the world could never return to its former state.”
What Future Do Airlines Have?
Airlines face an unprecedented international crisis in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Economic Recovery Will Come With High Levels Of Unemployment: How Should Governments Respond?
Two key factors distinguish the economic consequences of coronavirus from those of previous crises.
Understanding The Spread Of COVID-19
To understand the spread of COVID-19, the pandemic is more usefully viewed as a series of distinct local epidemics. The way the virus has spread in different countries, and even in particular states or regions within them, has been quite varied.
Why It Could Take Two Years For The Economy To Recover From The Coronavirus Pandemic
Predictions about the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the world’s economy arrive almost daily. How can we make sense of them in the midst of this economic storm?
Empty Pews Take A Financial Toll On Many US Congregations
As some 350,000 American churches and other houses of worship scramble to meet the spiritual and – increasingly – material needs of their members remotely, they are doing so on a tighter budget than usual.
As States Weigh Human Lives Versus The Economy, History Suggests The Economy Often Wins
Policymakers are beginning to decide how to reopen the American economy. Until now, they’ve largely prioritized human health
Why Private Gain Must No Longer Be Allowed To Elbow Out The Public Good
Adam Smith had an elegant idea when addressing the notorious difficulty that humans face in trying to be smart, efficient and moral.
Why Universal Basic Income Could Improve Mental Health
Many people are talking about universal basic income (UBI) these days. Giving everyone a guaranteed income could be the solution to many economic woes.
Coronavirus And The Height Of Corporate Welfare
With the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc on the global economy, here’s how massive corporations are shafting the rest of us in order to secure billions of dollars of taxpayer-funded bailouts.
We Value Women's Work But Pay Little For It
The COVID-19 pandemic has turned our lives upside down. Amidst the upheavals, it has laid bare how little we normally pay for “women’s work”.
Why We Should Be Thankful It Wasn't COVID-99
In these difficult times, the press and the public are piling complaints on governments and corporations over their responses to the pandemic.
Why Vietnam Has Reported No Coronavirus Deaths
As of April 21, the country had reported 268 cases of COVID-19, the disease associated with the new coronavirus, with more than 140 people making a full recovery.
How Canada’s Co-ops Are Helping Communities
As the epidemiological impacts of COVID-19 grow exponentially, so do business closures, unemployment rates, poverty, housing and food insecurities.
How Massive Spending In A Crisis Brought Bloody Consequences In Ancient Athens
The jump in federal spending in response to the crisis of the coronavirus pandemic is not a new idea.
Why The Nordics Are Our Best Bet For Comparing Coronavirus Strategies
Daily updated graphs illustrating the rising COVID-19 death rates in different countries raise hopes that we can understand the impact of the virus and work out how to stop it from spreading further.
How The Rich Reacted To The Bubonic Plague Has Eerie Similarities To Today's Pandemic
The coronavirus can infect anyone, but recent reporting has shown your socioeconomic status can play a big role, with a combination of job security, access to health care and mobility widening the gap in infection and mortality rates between rich and poor.
What Donald Trump's Funding Cuts To WHO Mean For The World
US President Donald Trump has announced the US is cutting its funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO) – a decision that will have major implications for the global health response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Want To Know How Many People Really Have The Coronavirus?
Consider these two questions: What percentage of Americans are, or have been, infected with the coronavirus?
How Economies Can Survive A Period Of Suspended Animation To Deal With Coronavirus
As coronavirus spreads across the world, politicians are confusing the current economic situation with a recession.
3 Reasons Your Local Store Keeps Running Out Of Flour, Toilet Paper And Prescription Drugs
Retailers are frequently running out of everything from flour and fresh meat to toilet paper and pharmaceuticals as supply chains hammered by the coronavirus struggle to keep up with stockpiling consumers.