Sometimes I’m uninspired to write. Sometimes I blame it on writer’s block, other times I blame it on lack of imagination. But more often than not, I’m uninspired to write because there are so many global issues to address that it’s overwhelming to decide which is the right one to address next. If I have that problem (someone who merely writes about global issues), I can’t imagine how innovators who actually tackle these issues must feel.  To (hopefully) create some inspiration for myself, but more importantly, for innovators out there who may be overwhelmed with the issues, sectors, or op ..read more

With a GDP per capita of approximately $555 and annual national government expenditure per person at $109, Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world. This means spending on virtually everything in Malawi is low, including education. Even though Malawi spent almost 23% of total government expenditure on education from 2017-2019, this amounted to just $52 per capita. To put this in perspective, the United States’ GDP per capita is more than $76,000, federal government spending per person is roughly $30,000, and public education expenditure per student is $15,633.  Yet somehow it i ..read more

New presidents taking the helm at the world’s most premier development institution, the World Bank, have always tried to reform the large organization. Consider the past three.  On his first day on the job in June, 2023, Ajay Banga, the bank’s 14th and current president, wrote to the bank’s 16,000 staff, “Making good on our ambition will require us to evolve to maximize resources and write a new playbook, to think creatively, take informed risks and forge new partnerships with civil society and multilateral institutions.” Banga is also expanding the scope of the World Bank’s mission to in ..read more

This piece was coauthored with Daniel Curtis. If video killed the radio star, then podcasting is resurrecting it. The medium has exploded in recent years. Now, it seems like everyone has a podcast—including us, the authors of this piece. Until recently, the young medium had mostly catered to a grown-up audience. But the kids have started catching on. With the flurries of worries over smartphones, social media, and student mental health intensified by the recent release of Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation, society is in search of solutions. Yes to more free play for children. Y ..read more

Loneliness is killing us. The Surgeon General’s advisory on our loneliness epidemic includes the chart shown below. It highlights the fact that lacking social connection is the new smoking. About a decade ago, sitting was the new smoking. But lacking social connection, it seems, may be even worse.  This isn’t really new news. We knew social connections were critical long before the Surgeon General’s proclamation. In fact, research on the drivers of health (DOH), also known as social determinants of health, highlights that DOH are responsible for up to 80-90% of our health outcomes. And b ..read more

On April 24, early registration to the largest anti-corruption event of the year opened. Almost 30 years ago, in 1995, Transparency International published the first Corruption Perception Index (CPI). Since then, the organization has ranked countries and territories based on the perception of public sector corruption. Investors and multinational companies use the CPI and other global indices to make decisions on whether or not, and how much, to invest in a country. Since CPI’s first publication, the following seven countries have consistently ranked near the bottom of the index: Somalia, South ..read more

Last year, I wrote a blog about the loneliness and social isolation epidemic. When discussing the blog with a colleague, she brought up the topic of parental loneliness, a topic I hadn’t yet researched in detail. It’s clear that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and continuing afterwards, parents are facing significant loneliness.  Parenting is hard. According to a 2022 Pew Research Center survey, parenting is a lot harder or somewhat harder than most parents of children under 18 expected. Although most parents believe that it is enjoyable and rewarding, some find it tiring and stress ..read more

Watch Heather’s video for a quick take! Education technology (edtech) has long faced skepticism, and with good cause. For many people during COVID, remote online learning was an unmitigated disaster. Meanwhile, multiple studies confirm what parents and teachers know already: one-laptop-per-child policies have null effects on academic attainment, or even negative effects. And what the data doesn’t say, our hearts do: in developed countries, our children need more sunshine and less screen time. But giving up now on the potential for online learning to improve the standard of living for children ..read more

Deja vu. In 2015, many multinational companies exited Africa. Nestle cut staff across 21 countries and Barclays, Coca-Cola, Cadbury, Eveready, and SABMiller retreated from different African markets they once believed had promise. The allure of Africa, particularly the widely referenced Africa rising narrative, was fading. The reasons the multinationals cited were all too familiar: failing or inexistent infrastructure, smaller than expected consumer market, struggling institutions, and corruption. In effect, what they experienced in Africa was a disabling environment for business–as opposed to ..read more

In our latest report, “From child welfare to well-being: A blueprint for CBOs and government agencies,” we unveil the business models that enable prevention-oriented CBOs and prevention-enabling government agencies to enhance child and family well-being. The report highlights innovators in the field, including deep dive case studies that highlight what separates new approaches from traditional models. Specifically, we call out what it is about their business models, or operating models, that allows them to prevent children from entering or reentering the child welfare system unnecessarily. In ..read more