Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 395 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

Filing Taxes in Japan Is a Breeze. Why Not Here?

T.R. Reid

April 14, 2017 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Tax Day doesn’t have to be stressful. Governments around the world make paying taxes easy. How? By filling out tax returns for people instead of expecting them to slog through the forms themselves.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The Stanford Professor Who Fought the Tax Lobby

Alex Mayyasi

March 22, 2017 |

Priceonomics |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Sacramento, California

ReadyReturn is the only program in the United States that provides taxpayers with completed tax returns. It’s simple, easy, and has a 99% user satisfaction rate. Who’s not happy? Intuit, H&R Block, and other tax preparers who have fought the California program every step of the way.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Larimer caseworker crisis slows child welfare work

Jacy Marmaduke

March 08, 2017 |

Coloradoan |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado

High caseworker turnover in Larimer County has led to poorer outcomes for children and high stress for the caseworkers themselves. To help combat this high turnover the salaries have been increased, retention incentives have been implemented as have job participation rewards and other methods.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Philadelphia's Soda Tax Is Reducing Consumption—and Maybe Jobs

Elena Gooray

February 28, 2017 |

Pacific Standard |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Soda taxes are are showing unexpected financial reprecussions, resulting in greater harm to the soda businesses than anticipated leading to massive workforce reductions. A proposed solution is to tax sodas based on how much sugar is in then, rather than a blanket tax.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The Voter Lottery

Kathleen Hawkins

February 26, 2017 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Voter turnout is a problem around the world, especially in local elections and among minority groups. But a small group of academics and activists in the US are experimenting with a new way to encourage people to turn up to vote: a lottery. Every voter is entered and one lucky winner gets a big cash prize, eliminating the risk of bribery and bought votes.

Read More
Go to Original Story
New York City Embraces a Gun Violence Outreach Program Left on Life Support in Chicago

Ann Givens

February 09, 2017 |

The Trace |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

In its four years of community outreach, Cure Violence’s New York City chapter has been accepted and welcomed by both neighborhoods and police. The program now works in 17 police precincts, providing direct violence intervention, legal and mental health resources, and improving police/community relations.

Read More
Go to Original Story
School funding reform: Ideas and challenges aplenty

Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

February 06, 2017 |

The Connecticut Mirror |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Hartford, Connecticut

Schools in Connecticut are facing serious challenges with allocation of finances and resources that have dramatically affected their ability to provide programs such as after school curriculum to students, disproportionately in poor neighborhoods. There are several potential solutions, including more just distribution of funding and increased transparency in the system.

Read More
Go to Original Story
On Patrol With Chicago's Last Violence Interrupters

Ann Givens

February 06, 2017 |

The Trace |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Chicago’s Cure Violence program, which has been around for close to 20 years, has closed all but one of its sites. The program employs Violence Interrupters, who work in neighborhoods to help stop violent conflict. As hopeful and successful as its creation was, it has run into cooperative issues with Chicago police and has seen a drastic cut in funding in the last five years.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Australia: Has it Cracked the Solution to Curb Smoking?

Fi Glover Henrietta Moore Martha Lane Fox

January 25, 2017 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Australia

Tough laws, taxes, and a public information campaign helped cut Australia’s adult smoking rate in half. The country leads the world in these efforts, including being the first to require plain tobacco packaging in 2012. However, some smokers protest, saying that the government is interfering with their individual rights.

Read More
Go to Original Story
As Its Neediest Schools Struggle, What Can PA Learn From Ontario's Success?

Kevin McCorry

December 30, 2016 |

Keystone Crossroads |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Toronto, Ontario

Part 5 of the "Equity or Bust: Are Ontario's Public Schools a Model for Pennsylvania" Series: Ontario is widely lauded for its education system, thanks to more rigorous teacher preparation, universal pre-K, and a deeply rooted commitment to prioritizing the neediest students. Meanwhile, districts like that of Kenderton, Pennsylvania are floundering in a broken system that leaves many kids - especially minorities - behind. What can they learn from Ontario's model?

Read More
Go to Original Story