Charter Cities Attempt to Reduce Poverty by Providing Options
The dominant trend in international development right now is to provide individuals with greater means to climb out of poverty on more or less their own terms. NYU development economist Paul Romer has pioneered what may be the latest, and perhaps craziest, idea in this trend. What if we provide individuals with greater means to … Continue reading
Good News Friday: Statelessness
This week marks the 50th anniversary of the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Statelessness means a lack of citizenship. It happens for a variety of reasons, including racial discrimination, unsuccessful asylum attempts, and being in the wrong place at the wrong time during a war. Some families have been stateless for generations. Statelessness can … Continue reading
World Refugee Day On Canvas
It was World Refugee Day yesterday, when advocacy groups, resettlement programs and survivors of displacement reflected on stories of survival and the challenges ahead for the over 15 million refugees still searching for home. At the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), staff members reflected on another huge number as well: 100 years of … Continue reading
Mail Ordered Marriage
Mail order brides have long been associated with human trafficking and slavery. It’s kind of a no-brainer. Not knowing your future spouse can obviously cause some serious problems. There have been numerous cases of depression, suicide and domestic violence related to mail order marriage. The profit margin for many matchmaking services is extremely high, leaving … Continue reading
Loved by the Marginalized
I picked up The Nanny Diaries a while back because I’d heard it was pretty good and written by graduates of my own little nontraditional college. It details the somewhat fictional experiences of a student named Nan who works as a nanny for presumably some of the worst people ever, or at least some of … Continue reading
Marginalized Maids
Park Slope, New York. A town within a city, where Brooklyn locals and yuppies from around the world congregate over lattes and ten dollar cupcakes. The neighborhood is home many families and young professionals who want to take advantage of the highly-rated public school system, the limitless bars and cafes, and the green spaces like … Continue reading
Mental Disability and Migration
Recently a New York Times editorial spotlighted a growing problem in the US immigration system: the handling of illegal immigrants who are also mentally disabled. The issue is one that makes compassionate people on either side of the immigration debate fret. How does a nation offering a place for the tired, poor, and huddled deal … Continue reading
The World Cup Finals and the Refugee Experience
This Sunday, the World Cup will come to a close with a European battle of wills: Spain and the Netherlands, two teams that have never won the championship, will fight it out to see who can make history first. Both countries are known for partying hard, and the celebrations of either team’s win will likely … Continue reading
4th of July and Weekend Resources
In honor of the 4th of July, I’ve included miss Lady Liberty above. Officially titled “Liberty Enlightening the World,” she is based on the Roman goddess Libertas. And like classical renderings of the goddess, her feet trample broken chains. Inside the exhibit on the second floor, you can find the beautiful sonnet “The New Colossus,” … Continue reading
