Extra body weight has long been associated with wealth, as evident from Renaissance art to stereotypes of modern American consumers. However, according to the CIA World Factbook (and World Health Organisation data), the top-20 most…
As new amenities accelerate stadium obsolescence, the nation’s almost-big-league cities (a familiar list) jostle for the attention of team owners. While many face fiscal headwinds and political contention, aspirational suburbs are ready to make a…
Governments cannot afford to ignore the gathering crisis of obesity. The challenges of urbanization, including pollution, congestion, and overcrowding, have already been acknowledged. Public health should be added to the urban policy agenda, in the…
Environmental pathologies such as air and water pollution threaten India’s public health, and food security is a looming concern. A widening wealth gap provides little hope that the poor, already vulnerable to the above, can…
Chinese stock markets are reeling from instability. “Circuit breakers” halted trading activity after steep losses, angering investors and embarrassing government regulators. Jilted traders played cards in public trading halls while anxiety swirled in global markets….
In a world of ever-expanding communications and transport infrastructure, population size is neither a deterrent nor an advantage for improving global connectivity; any city can network and thereby enhance visibility. The challenge for smaller cities…
“How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?” lamented French President Charles de Gaulle. India, with 22 official languages (and over 1,000 mother tongues), faces a similar puzzle. Of all places…
Pollution is not a new problem in India. But its recent intensity is a clarion call for policy action. Both India’s leaders and people can no longer afford to look away. India faces a crisis…
Data openness sounds like a defensible cause. In the information age, citizens expect transparency, and degree of openness is an increasingly common benchmarking metric. However, not all governments are so forthcoming, and Singapore is one…
Economic inequality has been a popular topic for analysis, commentary and political debate. Recent data have elicited yet more concern. The top 1 per cent of the world’s wealthy individuals now own more than the…
