BBC reporter Dave Edmonds speaks to Prof. Esther Duflo, co-founder of J-PAL, about her use of field studies and randomized control trials to test the effectiveness of programs in developing countries. Duflo explains that by examining data from randomized control trials, “out of the noise emerges some kind of melody of the logic of behavior.”
In an opinion piece for The Boston Globe, Alex Amouyel, executive director of MIT Solve, explains how the initiative is ‘crowdsolving’ thorny global problems through open innovation. “We need to source ideas from innovators all around the world to find the next breakthroughs,” argues Amouyel. “We know talent and ingenuity exist everywhere.”
The “One Laptop Per Child” project, originated in the Media Lab, was the subject of a study that revealed the importance of having a laptop in the home for “access to information, educational games, and tools for self-expression.” In an op-ed for Mashable, Sandra Nogry calls on educators to encourage the use of technology for learning in developing countries.
In an article for the Financial Times about the best economics books of 2017, Martin Wolf highlights new works by Prof. Andrew Lo and Prof. Peter Temin. Wolf writes that in Temin’s “important and provocative book, [he] argues that the US is becoming a nation of rich and poor, with ever fewer households in the middle.”
Writing for the Financial Times, Associate Prof. Tavneet Suri explains the importance of measuring the benefits of philanthropy in sub-Saharan Africa. This data “could help resource- or skills-constrained African companies to leverage the benefits of impact measurement tools, to better understand their positive impact on poverty,” Prof. Suri explains.
Noah Smith of Bloomberg writes that the foreign trade theory proposed by Prof. Cesar Hidalgo and his research team suggests that a country’s future growth is determined by how many different products it makes. This forecasting method is based on “the level of regulation or the amount of investment in education,” explains Smith.
AP reporter Katy Daigle writes that climate change could drive heat and humidity to extremes in regions of South Asia. Daigle explains that, “with no limit on global warming, about 30 percent of the region could see dangerous wet bulb temperatures above 31 degrees C (88 degrees F) on a regular basis within just a few decades.”
A new study by MIT researchers finds that climate change could cause deadly heat waves in South Asia by the end of the century, reports Nicole Riva for CBC News. The research demonstrates what could happen if “we keep going in this trajectory of no action related to climate change or minimal action,” says Prof. Elfatih Eltahir.
Washington Post reporter Chelsea Harvey writes that MIT researchers have found that millions of people in South Asia could experience deadly heat waves by the end of the century. Without reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, “certain areas of South Asia are projected to occasionally experience extreme conditions exceeding the lethal threshold, including parts of northeastern India and Bangladesh.”
Justin Worland reports for TIME on a new study by MIT researchers that shows by the end of the century millions of people living in South Asia could experience temperature and humidity conditions that exceed habitable levels. “The disastrous scenario could be avoided if countries meet their commitments to keep temperatures from rising more than 2°C (3.6°F) by 2100.”
MIT researchers have found that by 2100, climate change could cause deadly heat waves in parts of South Asia, reports Chris Arsenault for Reuters. “Climate change is not an abstract concept, it is impacting huge numbers of vulnerable people,” explains Prof. Elfatih Eltahir. “Business as usual runs the risk of having extremely lethal heat waves.”
Writing for The Guardian, Damian Carrington highlights a new study by Prof. Elfatih Eltahir that shows that without reductions in carbon emissions, millions of people living in South Asia could face extreme heatwaves. “The problem is very alarming but the intensity of the heatwaves can be reduced considerably if global society takes action,” says Eltahir.
BBC News reporter Matt McGrath writes that MIT researchers have found climate change could cause deadly heat waves in South Asia by the end of the century. "This is something that is going to impact your most vulnerable population in ways that are potentially pretty lethal,” explains Prof. Elfatih Eltahir. “But it is avoidable, it is preventable."
Forbes reporter Kevin Murnane writes about how MIT researchers have used a computer vision system to examine how several American cities physically improved or deteriorated over time. Murnane writes that the study “provides important support for nuanced versions of traditional theories about why urban neighborhoods change over time.”
UPI reporter Amy Wallace writes that MIT researchers have applied a computer vision system to help quantify the physical improvement of American neighborhoods. The researchers found that “density of highly educated residents, proximity to central business districts and other attractive areas, and the initial safety score assigned by the computer system are strongly related to improvements.”