Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 369 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

Singapore's abandoned bikes show how not to regulate the sharing economy

Leon Voon

July 18, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Singapore, Singapore

The tale of bike-sharing in Singapore sheds light on how governments can predict and manage technology changes in the future. Three bike-sharing startups quickly dominated the market, raised money, feared impending regulation, and then left Singapore. Had the government utilized better forecasting, by paying more attention to reports and the external environment, maybe the problem of countless deserted bikes could have been avoided. For now, the government can note its regulatory mistakes and prepare better for future technology.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Somaliland Uses Phones to Help Improve Schools

Doreen Aijambo

July 16, 2018 |

Al-Fanar Media |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Somaliland

Similar to other countries in Africa, Somaliland is using technology to better education. There, an estimated 150,000 parents use a free-mobile messaging tool to communicate about school conditions with the government. The capital of Somaliland engages in “community scorecards,” a mobile survey of thousands of students and their parents regarding their schooling.

Read More
Go to Original Story
'The Daddy quota': how Quebec got men to take parental leave

Mireille Silcoff

June 15, 2018 |

The Guardian |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Canada, Quebec

Influenced by Scandavian countries, the province of Quebec created its own paid paternity leave program, which offers 70-75% paid leave. The program is aimed at dad’s, who have traditionally faced stigma and judgement for accepting paternity leave. Quebec offers “five weeks of “use-it-or-lose-it” benefits, for fathers and non-biological mothers in lesbian couples.” The program has been an instant hit: “Over 80% of Quebec fathers take their paternity leave.”

Read More
Go to Original Story
Barcelona Finds a Way to Control Its Airbnb Market

Feargus O'Sullivan

June 06, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Spain, Barcelona

Swamped by short-term vacation rentals, Barcelona pushed Airbnb to share data with government officials and help ensure that only licensed properties are listed on the site. The agreement offers a model for how other cities can respond to the same problem.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Farm to Reef

Bryn Nelson

May 08, 2018 |

bioGraphic |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Cuba

The demise of coral reefs has made headlines recently as conservationists face the challenge of trying to save what is left of them from global warming, ocean acidification, pollution, overfishing – to name just a few of the threats. Gardens of the Queen National Park in the Caribbean may hold some answers. From a pro-environmental government philosophy to a reduction in nitrogen- and phosphorus-rich farm runoff, there are more than a few practices that have culminated into a solution to keep Cuba's coral reef healthy.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Meet the Judge Who Transformed California's Criminal Justice System

Abbie Vansickle

April 23, 2018 |

The Marshall Project |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

Using the catalyst approach, Judge Thelton Henderson was able to reform California prisons. He employed courts to change bureaucratic systems, and was moved by the idea that if you “encourage everyone involved to buy into a solution.. long-term change will happen.” Coupled with court orders, Henderson oversaw lawsuits involving overcrowding and inadequate medical services in prisons. A move that led to statewide change.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Jakarta's urban poor have found a way to fight City Hall - and win

Evi Mariani Sofian

April 04, 2018 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Philippines, Jakarta

One kampung in Jakarta, or “informal urban neighborhood,” fought back against a city that didn’t want the neighborhood to exist. There has been a trend for these small neighborhoods to be bulldozed in the name of development, but the “progress” threatens the homes and livelihoods of thousands of families. Now, volunteers are helping these small kampungs remain politically active and continue to make positive change.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Europe's beauty spots plot escape from the too-many-tourists trap

Joe Dodgshun

March 07, 2018 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Germany, Berlin

At the world’s most popular sites, innovations in tourism management can benefit both visitors and residents. Marketing efforts in Iceland are successfully distributing tourists all over the country throughout the year, and locals in Miami Beach, Florida, receive SMS alerts about traffic congestion so they can plan ahead. These are just two examples of the many initiatives currently in progress.

Read More
Go to Original Story
A Year of Bail Reform in New Jersey

Brian Lehrer

February 21, 2018 |

WNYC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New Jersey

As New Jersey continues to reform its cash bail system, other states in the region look to it as an example. The state developed an algorithm called the Public Safety Assessment that considers an individual’s likeliness to appear for their court date and whether they pose a risk of committing another crime and presents these findings and corresponding recommendations to a judge. Since the reforms have been in place, the state has seen a 20% decrease in the pre-trial jail population and an overall decrease in crime.

Read More
Go to Original Story
A Western town says ‘no' to guns in schools

Maddy Butcher

February 20, 2018 |

High Country News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Mancos, Colorado

In Mancos, Colorado, the school board voted “no” to arming school staff in the traditionally Western town. Across the United States, the question of arming teachers is being brought up as a response to the increase in school shootings. The policy is highly contested, with some saying it provides students with a feeling of safety, but others saying the risks associated are too high. For the Mancos community, such a vote is a surprise given the town’s gun-friendly history, but is explained by the increase in new residents.

Read More
Go to Original Story