Since the Middle Ages and throughout the early modern period, European universities and academies established dense webs of interpersonal connections among scholars. Using historical data on European scholars and their academic affiliations, this column argues that such networks were a key channel for the spread of knowledge across time and space. Especially without the dense […]
In the words of President Julius Maada Bio, “access to safe water and sanitation is not a favor extended to the few, but a right guaranteed to all.” Many households in Sierra Leone still dream of safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) instead of experiencing it daily. Children spend mornings fetching water instead of going […]
The most economically prosperous and gender-equal societies often display stronger gender segregation in educational choices – a pattern known as the ‘gender equality paradox’. This column explores this paradox using data on half a million children in 37 Western countries and 10,000 British families over two decades. The findings suggest that gender segregation in education […]
