From the Scholars Strategy Network, written by Rebekah Herrick, Oklahoma State University

Some of the strongest opposition to same-sex marriage is generated by religious groups and leaders. Simultaneously, many opinion polls and studies have shown that close personal contact with homosexuals is associated with an increased likelihood of support for same-sex marriage. So how much can contact with gay persons affect the views of religious individuals?

Just 24% of adults living in sub-Saharan Africa have a bank account with a formal financial institution. Only the Middle East/North African region has a lower participation rate, according to World Bank data. Over the past decade, however, microfinance in the region has gained momentum, with improvements in the regulatory environment, an increase in the operational efficiency of microfinance providers and continued donor interest in supporting the sector.

Land use in the United States has always been marked by change — forest has become cropland and then returned again; towns have grown in rural areas only to disappear; cities have grown, suburbs have spread.  In the last 25 years, however, change has accelerated in ways that depart from previous trends, even as the stakes have gotten higher — land use can have real effects on climate change, wildlife habitat and now even energy production.

Research on recent immigrants’ social networks and their hunt for work has produced mixed findings. Such networks have been shown to provide job opportunities and raise wages, but they can also aggravate cultural tensions and trigger competition for jobs. A 2012 study from Northwestern University, published in the Review of Economic Studies, suggests that it’s the composition of an immigrant’s social network that determines its impact on his or her employment prospects.