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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.

  1. terzi6_green transition degrowth Getty Images

    What the G20 Can Do for Green Growth

    Mariana Mazzucato & Vera Songwe explain how the world’s premier economic grouping can keep global climate targets on track.
  2. bildt128_EYAD BABAAFP via Getty Images_israel war EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images)

    An Israeli Victory May Not Bring Peace

    Carl Bildt sees the aftermath of the 1967 Six-Day War as a cautionary tale for the current conflict.
  3. moghalu5_Oleksandr RupetaNurPhoto via Getty Images_namibiauniversity Oleksandr Rupeta/NurPhoto via Getty Images

    Fixing Africa’s Governance Crisis Must Come First

    Kingsley Moghalu foresees home-grown educational institutions equipping the continent’s leaders with public-policy skills.
  4. okonjoiweala31_CostfotoNurPhoto via Getty Images_supply chain trade CostfotoNurPhoto via Getty Images

    The Key to Unlocking the Benefits of Trade

    Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala & Makhtar Diop

    The finance underpinning supply chains is crucial, but too many small businesses in emerging and developing economies cannot access it, cutting them off from the benefits of global trade. Plucking this relatively low-hanging fruit can drive progress toward many development goals at once.

    show how a lack of supply-chain finance keeps many businesses and economies on the sidelines.
  5. frankel165_CHRISTINE OLSSONTTTT NEWS AGENCYAFP via Getty Images_nobelwinners Christine Olsson/News Agency/AFP via Getty Images

    What Causes Prosperity?

    Jeffrey Frankel shows how this year's Nobel Prize-winning economists tackled a once-insoluble problem.
  6. ignatieff7_nocopyright

    Ukraine’s Post-Colonial Future

    Michael Ignatieff believes that what is at stake in the war with Russia is the fate of the last European imperialism.
  7. obstfeld6_Anthony KwanGetty Images_tariffs Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

    Donald Trump’s Tariffs Would Hurt US Workers and Businesses

    Maurice Obstfeld shows why targeting an overall reduction in imports would reduce America’s real wages and national income.
  8. kenewendo6_ LUIS TATOAFP via Getty Images_green energy africa LUIS TATO/AFP via Getty Images

    Africa’s Green Future Starts with Debt Relief

    Bogolo Kenewendo & Patrick Njoroge propose large-scale relief to ensure that the continent’s countries can invest in climate action.
  9. james159_getty images-inflation Getty Images

    Diane Coyle on economic progress, tech monopolies, artificial intelligence, and more

    Diane Coyle advocates a new public philosophy that rejects viewing “government” and “market” as opposites, explains why time-use data must shape technological development, warns that policymakers are devising AI regulation in a thick conceptual fog, and more.

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