Perpetrators of violent crime can impact economies in a variety of ways, from encouraging emigration and brain drain to discouraging foreign direct investment. In many parts of the developing world, violent crime related to gang activity has risen to crisis levels, negatively impacting people, property and business activity. These issues periodically gain media visibility, but the true scope of the problem worldwide is seldom captured.

Research has found a strong relationship between poverty and health, and lower levels of income are associated with higher levels of sickness and premature death. In seeking to understand this relationship, researchers often focus on what is called “allostatic load” — the wear and tear on the body as it manages physical and social stresses.

From the moment the baby-boom generation took its first steps in 1946, its members have had an enormous impact on the United States. They powered the suburbanization of America in the 1950s, youth rebellion in the 1960s and the “Me Decade” of the 1970s. And now as they approach retirement, their sheer numbers will continue to drive societal change.

Is the likelihood that an individual will behave in an ethical manner dependent on how much he or she earns? Logic might suggest that poorer individuals’ economic situations could push them to break certain rules, but research indicates that the variable of economic status may not operate along such predictable lines.

Data issued in April 2013 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that suicide rates in the United States have been on the rise over the past decade among middle-aged adults.

“Helicopter parents” — so called because they’re seen as overprotective or excessively interested in their children — have been both praised and criticized: They can improve students’ academic performance, but also dominate their children’s college and workplace interactions.