Development

Malala Yousafzai, the co-recipient of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, has been advocating across the world for girls’ educational rights, even in the face of extremely difficult circumstances in her home country of Pakistan, where gunmen attempted to assassinate her in 2012.

Research on crime in the developing world has shown that there are sizable implications for a nation’s GDP, and high levels of violent crime can significantly affect the poor and exacerbate inequality.

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.

What is the relationship between firearm availability and murder rates? It’s a complex question, and answering it involves weighing a number of variables.

The U.S. Constitution has been a respected model for governance around the world for two centuries. According to a 2012 study by scholars from Washington University and the University of Virginia School of Law, as of 1987, 160 of 170 international constitutions were based at least partially on it. But 25 years later, is this still the case as constitutions continue to be written and revised?

The conflict in the West African nation of Mali, a former French colony with a majority-Muslim population, came to sudden prominence in the West when France intervened at the request of Malian authorities. But the country and its complex dynamics have been scrutinized by scholars for many years.