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Can Villages Save Ukraine's Democracy?

Dan Peleschuk

September 27, 2017 |

OZY |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Ukraine, Dolyniany

In Ukraine, decentralization and local control is taking hold as the country pursues government reforms. The process works by combining separate territories into administrative units called unified territorial communities (UTC) and then letting tax revenue go through those units for local projects like maintaining schools and vital infrastructure. So far, "around 400 UTCs have been created out of more than 1,700 villages, settlements and towns" and "local budgets have grown 107 percent."

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Many countries have a simple, fair tax system. Could the US be next?

Marco Werman Joyce Hackel

September 27, 2017 |

Public Radio International (PRI) |

Multi-Media |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States

The average median-income family in the United States spends 13 hours per year preparing and filing their taxes, plus $370 paying someone to help. “In other countries, it’s a matter of minutes and costs nothing,” says T.R. Reid who studies tax systems around the world. In the Netherlands, you review a pre-filled online form. In Japan, the government sends you a postcard and, if no changes are needed, you don’t take any action at all.

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The Future is Pittsburgh's To Lose

Bruce Katz

September 24, 2017 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Pittsburgh

In the future innovation and technology are only going to become more important to a city's status. Pittsburgh is making great strides by cultivating research, technology, and workers.

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Why Did India Have Ten Million Fewer Childhood Deaths Than Predicted?

Chhavi Sachdev

September 23, 2017 |

NPR |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India

The Million Death study revealed that the child mortality rate in India has decreased over the past 15 years. These results are most likely due to vaccine drives, free diagnostics, more health clinics and other such improvements.

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How Conservatives Learned to Love Free Lawyers for the Poor

Alysia Santo

September 22, 2017 |

The Marshall Project |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Public defender systems across the country are underfunded and understaffed. Viewed by progressives as a racial and class inequality problem, the issue is gaining major traction in red states under a different framing: defense against government tyranny. “If there’s one thing the government must get right,” said conservative lawmaker Tom McMillin, “it’s whether or not we’re locking up the right people.”

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Should California look to Massachusetts to fix its housing crisis?

Matt Levin

September 13, 2017 |

CalMatters |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

The California Legislature, inspired by a decades-old Massachusetts affordable housing bill, recently passed SB 35. However, a few differences distinguish the two bills. In Massachusetts, the 40B bill fast-tracks development projects that include 20% affordable units in cities that have below the mandated amount of affordable housing. California’s bill rewards affordable housing projects, but it also rewards projects with above-average income housing. Still, the bill is a big step forward in the fight for more affordable housing at the state level.

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Innovative but dull: disaster insurance is starting to pay off

Stefan Dercon

September 11, 2017 |

The New Humanitarian (formerly IRIN) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mexico

When disasters, such as hurricanes and earthquakes, strike the recovery can be very expensive. Insurance has been found to be key in order to quickly get funds to help relief efforts.

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D.C. offers amnesty to parents who are behind in child support

Michael Alison Chandler

September 07, 2017 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

Billions of dollars in child support goes unpaid every year in the United States, but not all of those parents missing payments are negligent deadbeats - many are unemployed, incarcerated, or have disabilities that are prohibitive to earning enough money. A new amnesty program in Washington D.C. is taking a closer look at individual cases to determine which parents may just need an extra boost to help find a job or otherwise make their payments, and is forgiving debt while providing grants and other resources to help them support their children.

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New Zealand Tries a Different Kind of Private Prison

Rikha Sharma Rani

August 31, 2017 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: New Zealand, Auckland

The privatized prison system is largely skewed against inmates, as most are funded based on the number of individuals incarcerated, creating a disincentive to invest in the rehabilitation and comprehensive treatment of inmates. But the Wiri prison in Auckland is piloting a new approach that focuses on the greater good: the government pays the prison for positive results based on recidivism rates and improved outcomes for inmates, especially the Maori minority.

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Even with progressive education funding, 'fairness' eludes Berlin schools

Kevin McCorry

August 29, 2017 |

Keystone Crossroads |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Germany, Berlin, Berlin

Part 1 of 3 - A progressive funding model has been a boon to schools in Berlin’s poorer neighborhoods, which receive a baseline of staff and resources that would make them the envy of many of their counterparts in Pennsylvania. But schools in poorer neighborhoods face a myriad of struggles that additional resources haven’t been able to quell, due to the deep socioeconomic disparities between the home neighborhoods of wealthy and poor students. This "social wall" lies exactly along the lines of the once physical Berlin wall.

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