Category: Demography

3 Myths That Block Progress For The Poor (2014 Gates Annual Letter)

Mar 24, 2014

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by

mwkruse

in Demography, Economic Development, Great Divergence, Health and Medicine, Human Progress, Poverty, Trends: Economic, Trends: Social

2014 Gates Annual Letter: 3 Myths the Block Progress for the Poor "By almost any measure, the world is better than it has ever been. People are living longer, healthier lives. Many nations that were aid recipients are now self-sufficient. You might think that such striking progress would be widely celebrated, but in fact, Melinda…
Why the Big Sort?

Mar 3, 2014

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by

mwkruse

in Demography, Politics, Sociology

Almost five years ago, I did a series of posts on Bill Bishop's book The Big Sort. (Series here) Bishop explains that for at least thirty years, we have been sorting ourselves into enclaves of polarized groups, even physically locating ourselves with others who think and live like us. But the big question is why?…
Limits to Growth: Still Wrong, Still Influential – Bjorn Lomborg

Feb 25, 2014

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by

mwkruse

in Capitalism and Markets, Demography, Economic Development, Economics, Human Progress, Technology, Technology (Energy), Technology (Manufacturing & Construction))

Below is a presentation by Bjorn Lomborg at Creative Innovation 2013: Asia Pacific. I think this is a remarkable presentation. First, a few remarks. How much can the global economy grow? That is a big issue in economics and environmentalism. Clearly, the earth has a fixed quantity of resources. If the economy grows exponentially, then…
50 Reasons We’re Living Through the Greatest Period in World History

Feb 21, 2014

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by

mwkruse

in Crime, Demography, Education, Environment, Great Divergence, Health and Medicine, Human Progress, Poverty, Public Policy, Race, Technology, Trends: Economic, Trends: Social, Wealth and Income, Weatlh and Income Distribution

Huff Post Business (The Motley Fool): 50 Reasons We're Living Through the Greatest Period in World History I recently talked to a doctor who retired after a 30-year career. I asked him how much medicine had changed during the three decades he practiced. "Oh, tremendously," he said. He listed off a dozen examples. Deaths from…
Demography Links

Feb 13, 2014

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by

mwkruse

in Culture, Demography, Health and Medicine, Links – Demography, Public Policy, Race, Sociology, Trends: Economic, Trends: Social

1. Business Insider: These Maps Show The Geography Of Interracial Marriage This map shows white and African American marriages. Go to the article to see maps for other ethnicities. 2. PBS: Study finds that divorce rate rises as economy improves … The divorce rate dipped from 2.09 percent to 1.95 percent between 2008 and 2009,…
Hans Rosling: Don’t Panic — The Facts About Population

Feb 7, 2014

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by

mwkruse

in Demography, Economic Development, Environment, Great Divergence, Health and Medicine, Human Progress, Sociology, Trends: Economic, Trends: Social, Wealth and Income, Weatlh and Income Distribution

This is just fantastic! Hans Rosling pulls together many of his various presentations over recent years and melds them into a one-hour-long presentation about the astonishing way our world is improving while pointing to the challenges ahead. I know this is long, but if you watch this closely and learn, you will be well-positioned to…
Global Population Estimates by Age, 1950-2050

Jan 31, 2014

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by

mwkruse

in Demography, Trends: Social

Pew Research: Global Population Estimates by Age, 1950-2050 These are screen captures. The graphs at the site are interactive.
Developing Countries Are More Than Economic Rivals and Terror Threats

Jan 17, 2014

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by

mwkruse

in Demography, Economic Development, Economics, Globalization, International Affairs, Politics, Poverty, Public Policy, Trends: Economic, Wealth and Income

The Atlantic: Developing Countries Are More Than Economic Rivals and Terror Threats I still hear many people today talk about the "Third World." It refers to those nations that were poor and not aligned with either Western capitalism (First World) or the communist world (Second World.) The Third World has vanished, and it is time…
The (Mostly) Improving State of the World

Jan 16, 2014

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by

mwkruse

in Demography, Economic Development, Economics, Environment, Globalization, Health and Medicine, Human Progress, Poverty, Religion, Science, Sociology, Technology (Biotech & Health), Technology (Digital, Telecom, & Internet), Technology (Energy), Technology (Food & Water), Technology (Manufacturing & Construction)), Technology (Transportation & Distribution), Trends: Economic, Trends: Social, Weatlh and Income Distribution

Washington Post: 40 charts that explain the world Our friend and colleague Max Fisher over at Worldviews has posted another 40 maps that explain the world, building on his original classic of the genre. But this is Wonkblog. We're about charts. And one of the great things about charts is that they show not just…
Economics Links

Jan 13, 2014

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by

mwkruse

in Demography, Economics, Gender and Sex, Health and Medicine, Links – Economics, Politics, Poverty, Public Policy, Sociology, Trends: Economic, Trends: Social, Wealth and Income, Weatlh and Income Distribution

1. The Atlantic: If You Really Care About Ending Poverty, Stop Talking About Inequality Don’t mind the rich-poor gap. Statistical analysis shows three factors—overall income growth, marriages, and local government spending—matter most for poorer children chasing the American Dream. … … But for all the new attention devoted to the 1 percent, a new dataset…