Avoiding the Curse of the Oil-Rich Nations

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/avoiding-the-curse-of-the-oil-rich-nations

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

13 February 2013

Text / 800-1500 Words

Alaska has created a way for residents to financially benefit from the state's dependence on oil revenues. By giving residents a yearly portion of the revenue, the state has been able to see positive effects from an often conflict-ridden industry.

Can Free College Save American Cities?

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/04/kalamazoo-the-promise-save-american-cities-105366.html#.VYmmCflViko

Cassie Walker Burke

Politico

3 April 2014

Text / Over 3000 Words

Huge numbers of students lack the chance to go to college because of financial problems. Recently, Kalamazoo schools received more funding allowing them to have the chance to help and pay for students to then go to college and receive a higher education.

Can Government Play Moneyball?

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/16/can-government-play-moneyball

David Bornstein

The New York Times

16 April 2014

Text / 1500-3000 Words

The pressure is on for the federal government to spend tax money more wisely. Evidence-based policy making is gaining in popularity as a way for the government to spend tax money wisely. While not quite as flashy or exciting as past ways, this has a proven track record of positive impact.

Farmers markets reaching more consumers who get nutritional benefits

http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-farmers-markets-food-stamps-20140609-story.html

Lee Romney

Los Angeles Times

8 June 2014

Text / 800-1500 Words

Through creative financing and new technology, a non-profit in San Francisco is making farmers markets more accessible to residents who rely on federal nutrition benefits.

For Striving Students, a Connection to Money

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/26/the-system-when-it-works

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

26 March 2014

Text / 1500-3000 Words

Government benefits to aid the poor are frequently left unclaimed, leaving children hungry, young people unable to finish school, and opportunities for stable housing and preventative health care unused. New York City-based program Single Stop connects people to benefits for which they may be eligible. Importantly, Single Stop has served community colleges where disadvantaged students can use the assistance to help get through school.

Living-wage' movement growing in region

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/wage-523783-living-long.html

Margot Roosevelt

Orange County Register

1 September 2013

Text / 800-1500 Words

In the past five years, as federal and state minimum wage levels failed to keep pace with the cost of living, and as the recession took its toll, the living wage movement has accelerated. Across the United States, more than 125 cities and counties have enacted ordinances or passed ballot initiatives to lift the wages of the working poor.

In the Long War on Poverty, Small Victories That Matter

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/08/in-the-long-war-on-poverty-small-victories-that-matter

David Bornstein

The New York Times

8 January 2014

Text / 1500-3000 Words

A panoply of responses to poverty has emerged to address poverty in the United States and abroad. The responses share in three key tactics: Measuring impact, paying for success, and collaboration.

Education lessons from Maine, New Hampshire

https://digital.vpr.net/post/education-lessons-maine-new-hampshire

Jane Lindholm

Patti Daniels

Vermont Public Radio

7 April 2015

Radio / Over 15 Minutes

As Vermont struggles to create legislation regulating school district management and financial efficiency, the state looks to models in Maine and New Hampshire for guidance. In Maine, school districts have tried to save money and resources through consolidation; in New Hampshire, officials have reworked the way schooling is financed altogether.

In Bangladesh, More Shelter From the Storms

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/24/in-bangladesh-more-shelter-from-the-storms

Amy Yee

The New York Times

24 July 2013

Text / 1500-3000 Words

In a country of limited resources — and perhaps for that very reason — preparing for natural disasters is top of the agenda in Bangladesh. Various grassroots, collaborative programs have been put in place over the years to help address many facets of the calamities caused by cyclones, from improved emergency shelters to long-term support for those who lose their livelihoods in the storms.

Crime and blight still remain

http://www.fayobserver.com/article/20140222/News/302229724

Greg Barnes

Fayetteville Observer

22 February 2014

Text / 800-1500 Words

Civic leaders in the U.S. struggle to effectively help their distressed neighborhoods. East Lake, Atlanta, created a replicable model that mixes residents of differing socio-economic status, and focuses on education and health in the area.