Author: Madeleine Read

SEATTLE — We often talk about climate change in terms of its environmental toll. But its human toll, according to a new analysis by the World Bank, may be just as significant. In a report published on November 14, 2016, the World Bank and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery found that natural disasters leave 26 million people destitute every year, an impact “far more devastating than previously understood.” The connection between extreme weather and extreme poverty may have been previously underestimated by up to 60 percent. The standard way of measuring the economic impact of such events…

SEATTLE, Washington — In 2007, the world’s balance tipped: for the first time in history, the number of urbanites surpassed the size of the rural population. The urban population is expected to double — to five billion people — by 2050. In many respects, increasing urbanization is a harbinger of prosperity. A concentrated population means better access to goods and services, education, medicine and employment. Children are more likely to attend school, medical clinics are often more abundant and better-supplied, more specialization opens a wide variety of new positions to job-seekers. Studies have identified a powerful link between urbanization and…

PROVO, Utah — In Guatemala, where half the population lives in rural communities without extensive infrastructure, it can be hard to accumulate savings, get credit, or acquire insurance. But is this a big enough fish to fry, and if so, should frying it be among the goals of foreign aid? Whether lower-income citizens can access formal financial services is more than just an indicator of development; it is an important contributor to economic and structural growth. When families and businesses can participate in transactions, build savings, and purchase insurance, they can make plans to meet their long-term goals and set…

SEATTLE — The World Health Organization recently estimated that 422 million adults worldwide have been diagnosed with diabetes and that nearly a quarter of those depends on insulin for treatment. But while it saves lives, the cost of insulin in some developing countries is enough to drive families into financial ruin. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that most frequently shows up in children or young adults. Essentially, it means that the pancreas has stopped producing insulin, a hormone that lowers blood sugars by helping the body convert carbohydrates into energy. There is no known cause and no known cure;…

GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemalan courts recently sentenced Gudy Rivera, former head of the national congress, to more than 13 years in prison for bribery. The conviction was only the latest in a stunning series of efforts to tackle high-profile corruption and improve the rule of law in Guatemala — which, though it may seem strictly political, is a crucial move in the war against poverty. Rivera was convicted a little more than a year after Guatemala’s sitting president, Otto Pérez Molina, was arrested and charged with masterminding a customs corruption ring that stretched across multiple levels and organizations of government.…

BOGOTA — Voters took to the polls in Colombia on October 2 to reject a peace deal between their government and the rebel group FARC. Although the deal would have put a long-overdue end to a grisly civil war, Colombians angrily spurned it because they felt it let the rebels off with little more than a slap on the wrist. But their decision may have long-term, infrastructural consequences that they did not foresee. The armed conflict has left nearly 220,000 dead. But that extraordinary number includes only those casualties that can be directly linked to the violence; there is no way…