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Curated by Project Syndicate

The Future of Human Development

11 commentaries

It’s been 25 years since the first UNDP Human Development Report affirmed that income growth alone does not improve human wellbeing. How can the human-development approach be used to help policymakers tackle today's complex global challenges?

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  1. From War to Work
    fstewart1_Emmanuel Dunand_Getty Images_War to Work Emmanuel Dunand/ Getty Images

    From War to Work

    Jun 9, 2016 Frances Stewart debunks the conventional wisdom that job creation prevents violent conflict.

  2. Living Free and Equal
    Latin America Mario Tama/Getty Images

    Living Free and Equal

    Apr 5, 2016 Rebeca Grynspan calls for redistributive policies to enable countries to reduce poverty and inequality.

  3. Learning Without Theory
    people walking Getty Images

    Learning Without Theory

    Mar 30, 2016 Ricardo Hausmann says that when it comes to economic growth and development, we should not confuse "what" and "how."

  4. From Child Slavery to Freedom
    Children in India Schoolchildren in India/Pixabay

    From Child Slavery to Freedom

    Jan 21, 2016 Kailash Satyarthi explains why 5.5 million kids remain in servitude – and what must be done to end the practice.

  5. Education in an Uncertain World
    Schoolchildren at a computer terminal

    Education in an Uncertain World

    Dec 16, 2015 Andreas Schleicher considers the skills that today's graduates need to cope with rapid technological change.

  6. The Evolution of Work
    Industrial tools

    The Evolution of Work

    Dec 9, 2015 Dani Rodrik explains why the outlook is mixed for labor in developing countries.

Our Pick

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    The High Cost of the Netherlands’ Mpox Vaccine Hoarding

    Gordon Brown condemns European populists’ failure to heed the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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    How to Make the Most of the Kursk Gambit

    Samuel Charap & Charles A. Kupchan think Ukraine and its partners have a big opportunity to start working toward a negotiated end to the war.
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    The US Election Will Overturn Europe’s Strategic Status Quo

    Mark Leonard worries that Europeans are unprepared for whoever will succeed US President Joe Biden.
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    The Water-Security Crisis

    Mariana Mazzucato, et al.

    Increasingly severe water shortages represent a human-made crisis that can be resolved through human interventions. The situation demands new thinking about the economics of this critical resource and how to manage it through mission-oriented strategies that span all levels of governance.

     call attention to a global problem that demands far more attention from policymakers at all levels.
  5. reyna1_Martin Schuttpicture alliance via Getty Images_ev green deal Martin Schutt/picture alliance via Getty Images
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    The European Green Deal Is Already Benefiting Consumers

    Agustín Reyna rejects the misguided notion that voters are indifferent to environmental concerns.
  6. bremmer34_Anna MoneymakerGetty Images_harrissouthkorea Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
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    What Is Kamala Harris’s Foreign Policy?

    Ian Bremmer

    Although Kamala Harris is largely aligned with Joe Biden on many global and strategic issues, her unique worldview promises a distinct form of leadership on the international stage. Not only would US foreign policy shift under a Harris administration; it could change in highly consequential ways.

     considers how the Democratic presidential nominees' views compare to Joe Biden's.
  7. anheier25_JOHN MACDOUGALLAFP via Getty Images_afd JOHN MACDOUGALL/AFP via Getty Images
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    Will the German Center Hold?

    Helmut K. Anheier considers what is driving support for extremist parties in the country’s eastern states.
  8. delong263_MEGAN JELINGERAFP via Getty Images_USindustrysteel Megan Jelinger/AFP via Getty Images
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    America Has No Alternative to Industrial Policy

    J. Bradford DeLong thinks new threats to economic security outweigh the reasons for opposing government-led development.
  9. nye261_Kevin DietschGetty Images_us election Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
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    US Foreign Policy in 2025

    Joseph S. Nye, Jr. compares the two presidential candidates’ attitudes and positions on major global issues.

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