Health, Education & Social Policy
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How Chicago’s Economic Fault Lines Dictate Classroom Success
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In a spatial analysis of Chicago’s community health, a series of five choropleth maps reveals a city deeply divided by a reinforcing cycle of economic hardship and educational outcomes. By mapping data for populations below the poverty line, unemployment rates, and proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA), Math, and Science,…
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America’s manufactured medical shortage
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Why is it so hard to see a healthcare provider in America? The US has fewer doctors per person than most developed countries and too few to meet growing demand, according to projections. Most Americans have felt the symptoms of this longstanding shortage: higher prices and difficulty finding care. But what is less well-known is…
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Revisiting Competency-Based Education: Lessons from Maine’s Experiment
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Outside Contributor: Nathan Lesch is a second-year PhD student studying American political institutions at Columbia University, Department of Political Science. Introduction Most American schools follow a Carnegie Unit-derived system, where students’ attainment is determined by the number of hours they spend in the classroom, in conjunction with grades that range from A to F. While…
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In Defense of Detemir: How US Drug Policy Let an Essential Insulin Disappear
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In December 2024, Novo Nordisk discontinued insulin detemir (levemir) in the U.S. They cited manufacturing constraints, alternative insulins, and reduced formulary coverage. This decision removed one of only three basal insulin options. No generic could replace it since the FDA does not allow compounding of insulins, and expedited pathways still…
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From Preclusive to Preventive: GLP-1 Accessibility
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Technological innovations often face backlash or skepticism at first before finding a place in everyday life. Famously, many believed the printing press would diminish human intellect, as the written word would replace memorization. Luddites opposed innovations during the Industrial Revolution in England, fearing that their businesses would be displaced by…
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Where Support is Most Urgent: Disability and Unmet Basic Needs in Paraguay
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Disability hits hardest when it lands in a household that is already living without the basics—and for Paraguay, the new results on Unmet Basic Needs (UBN) of the 2022 Population Census now lets us see exactly where that double burden is concentrated. This map tells a straightforward but powerful story:…
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The Rise in Health Insurance Prices: How Policy Can Change American Healthcare
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Experts have been warning the public about the impending increase in health insurance prices in 2025, with even sharper increases expected this year in 2026. This anticipated increase comes with a shrinkage in coverage and a strain on low-income Americans who will not be able to afford these hiking premiums.…
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Rural Labor and Delivery: Should We Let Great Get in the Way of Good?
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For years, the United States has lagged behind other developed countries in its ability to keep mothers alive. A recent report from the National Center for Health Statistics found the US maternal mortality rate is 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to an average of 10 deaths per 100,000…
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Incompetence, Fraud and Conflict of Interest: The Problems of SNAP Benefits
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Suppose it is payday and you are patiently waiting for your paycheck to hit your bank account. You do not have a particularly large cushion of savings, so the upcoming deposit will be covering groceries and other necessities, little else. Now imagine your shock: the bank has mistakenly allocated that…
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Global Patterns of Wellbeing: A Cluster Analysis of the 2024 Happiness Factors
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The cluster visualization highlights how countries around the world are aligned based on the major factors that shape their wellbeing. These include income, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and trust in public institutions. By summarising these indicators into two broad Wellbeing Dimensions, the figure…
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Chicago’s food insecurity needs action, not more impact analysis
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As with most edible foods in our homes, there is an expiration date for action on hunger. This past year, with approval ratings at an all-time low and food insecurity on the city’s South and West sides at an all-time high, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson failed to act on a…