On December 17, 2022, Julia (pseudonym) received an admission offer from Stanford University with full financial aid. “I was overwhelmed with joy,” she told me. “My parents don’t have to pay for my education!” Julia lives in Syria, a ...
Names are more than just labels—they are steeped in histories and tangled in identities. When a name changes, where does its history go? Does it disappear in the shadow of its past, buried in the grave of its former identity? Or does it stay, trail...
A few months ago, Asaad al-Shaibani was a jihadist. Now, he is Syria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and a fierce champion of the free market. “We need the help of the international community to support us in this new experiment,” al-Shaibani tol...
Situated 260 miles south of Agadir, one of Morocco’s serene beach town, is the starting point of the Moroccan Wall, a sand barrier bisecting the contentious territory of Western Sahara. On one side of the wall lie areas of Western Sahara that have ...
Situated 260 miles south of Agadir, one of Morocco’s serene beach town, is the starting point of the Moroccan Wall, a sand barrier bisecting the contentious territory of Western Sahara. On one side of the wall lie areas of Western Sahara that have ...
In the oft-misunderstood world of monetary policy, a major debate rages about the role of negative interest rate policy in central banking. Central banks, like the US Federal Reserve (the Fed) and the European Central Bank (ECB), are the primary gove...
In the oft-misunderstood world of monetary policy, a major debate rages about the role of negative interest rate policy in central banking. Central banks, like the US Federal Reserve (the Fed) and the European Central Bank (ECB), are the primary gove...
A cluster of third-graders, clad in khakis and blue polos, sit for lunch facing a world map marked with notecards on dozens of countries, telling the stories of the students’ families. These are the youth of Achievement First, one of Rhode Island...
A cluster of third-graders, clad in khakis and blue polos, sit for lunch facing a world map marked with notecards on dozens of countries, telling the stories of the students’ families. These are the youth of Achievement First, one of Rhode Island...
Most Americans aren’t expecting to find a beneficial program hiding in their tax return. Yet the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), despite its dull name, is just that. In 2013, the EITC brought 6.2 million workers above the poverty line and boosted ...
Most Americans aren’t expecting to find a beneficial program hiding in their tax return. Yet the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), despite its dull name, is just that. In 2013, the EITC brought 6.2 million workers above the poverty line and boosted ...
From driving tests to downtown, parking is the bane of drivers young and old. Limited parking is an accepted and unavoidable fact of life in most metropolitan areas, but wrongly so. Around the nation, a transportation crisis stems from a surplus of p...
From driving tests to downtown, parking is the bane of drivers young and old. Limited parking is an accepted and unavoidable fact of life in most metropolitan areas, but wrongly so. Around the nation, a transportation crisis stems from a surplus of p...
The first round of elections for the Majlis, Iran’s national parliament, changed the dynamic for political reformists throughout the country. 83 candidates from The List of Hope — an informal coalition of moderate and reformist candidates — cla...
The first round of elections for the Majlis, Iran’s national parliament, changed the dynamic for political reformists throughout the country. 83 candidates from The List of Hope — an informal coalition of moderate and reformist candidates — cla...
Nigeria has a people problem. With a population of 167 million and one of the highest fertility rates in sub-Saharan Africa, the country is struggling with the repercussions of longstanding cultural and religious traditions that encourage large famil...
Nigeria has a people problem. With a population of 167 million and one of the highest fertility rates in sub-Saharan Africa, the country is struggling with the repercussions of longstanding cultural and religious traditions that encourage large famil...
When Trudy Robideau needed to finance a car repair, she decided to take out a payday loan. When she couldn’t afford to pay it back after the loan expired, she had to take out another one. She described the experience as being hooked: “You can fee...
When Trudy Robideau needed to finance a car repair, she decided to take out a payday loan. When she couldn’t afford to pay it back after the loan expired, she had to take out another one. She described the experience as being hooked: “You can fee...
Tucked between northeast Nepal and southern Tibet, the Khumbu Icefall slides down Mount Everest an average of three to four feet each day. The icefall’s crust is a Jenga-pile of house-sized ice blocks that break and collapse without warning. Crossi...
Tucked between northeast Nepal and southern Tibet, the Khumbu Icefall slides down Mount Everest an average of three to four feet each day. The icefall’s crust is a Jenga-pile of house-sized ice blocks that break and collapse without warning. Crossi...
Earlier this year, the world watched in consternation as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s increasingly autocratic regime closed Zaman, one of the country’s most prominent and critical newspapers, and reopened it overnight. The day before...
Earlier this year, the world watched in consternation as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s increasingly autocratic regime closed Zaman, one of the country’s most prominent and critical newspapers, and reopened it overnight. The day before...
Mei Fong, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, has reported on the societal impacts of China’s burgeoning economy. Her most recent book, One-Child: The Story of China’s Most Radical Experiment, explores the conditions and effects of China’s one...
Mei Fong, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, has reported on the societal impacts of China’s burgeoning economy. Her most recent book, One-Child: The Story of China’s Most Radical Experiment, explores the conditions and effects of China’s one...
Jennicet Gutiérrez is a transgender Latina activist and organizer with Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement. She gained national attention after interrupting President Obama’s speech at an LGBT pride event hosted by the White House. BPR: What ...
Jennicet Gutiérrez is a transgender Latina activist and organizer with Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement. She gained national attention after interrupting President Obama’s speech at an LGBT pride event hosted by the White House. BPR: What ...