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  • The surprisingly simple economic case for giving refugees cash, not stuff

    August 07, 2016 |

    Quartz |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Jordan, Amman

    In the Middle East, refugee camps are expensive to run-- particularly because shipping food aid is expensive, and the refugees feel victimized in an environment where they have no agency or purchasing power. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has moved refugees in Jordan out of camps and has given cash instead of in-kind aid, and new possibilities emerge with mobile money by the aid of new technology. The results have shown that refugees feel more empowered and the costs associated with their aid are reduced.

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  • The Rent Is Now Somewhat Less High in Paris

    August 03, 2016 |

    Bloomberg CityLab |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: France, Paris

    France’s cities, including Paris, are among the world’s most expensive to live in. In 2015, France passed rent control laws that restrict outlandish rent increases through the Rent Observatory that oversees the different zones and contracts, as well as a website that tells residents if their prospective landlords are charging too much. One year later, the regulations have been effective at controlling the rent by 30% in Paris.

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  • What It Takes for an Independent Record Store to Survive Now

    August 03, 2016 |

    Pitchfork |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Columbus, Ohio

    As popular music has become digital and immaterial in the twenty-first century, record stores are hard to find and those in business struggle to be commercially viable. Used Kids record store in Columbus, OH has been in business for thirty years and is perhaps even more popular now that it was ten years ago. The current management treat the medium of vinyl not as a museum artifact, but rather as a commodity in demand by selling online, holding private events with collectors, and selling the materiality to young people.

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  • Can Bodegas Solve the Philippines' Internet Problem?

    July 26, 2016 |

    Pacific Standard |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Philippines

    While internet access is widespread in the Philippines, the speed tends to be low and the cost tends to be high. The Philippines-based company Wi-Fi Interactive Network has been taking steps to address these issues by creating internet hot spots at bodegas. People can access these hot spots for free through the purchase of essential items such as soap, toothpaste, and milk.

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  • Meet the Full-Service Social Media Secretary for Prisoners

    June 29, 2016 |

    The Marshall Project |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Toledo, Ohio

    "A social secretary for people who have been deprived of the forms of communication that are now ubiquitous almost everywhere except for prisons," Renea Royster is part of a network of organizations (including Pigeonly, Infolincs, Inmatefone, and Phone Donkey) helping prisoners keep in touch with people on the outside.

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  • #SeaHomeless: Finding affordable, innovative ways to harness technology to combat homelessness

    June 29, 2016 |

    GeekWire |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

    The homeless population in Seattle is in a crisis of high proportions, with people facing a myriad of challenges. Different organizations have started to better integrate technology such as social media in addressing some of these issues, transitioning away from the paper-heavy systems may hold them back from maximum efficiency in their mission and leveraging digital tools to better reach those in need.

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  • How One School District Used Buses to Bring the Internet Home

    June 10, 2016 |

    Pacific Standard |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Indio, California

    Many in the rural town of Indio, CA, didn't have access to the internet. Darryl Adams, superintendent of Coachella Valley schools, devised a frugal way to provide internet access to many of his district's poor neighborhoods - mobile, school bus-based WiFi hotspots.

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  • The Town That Made Its Own Internet

    May 26, 2016 |

    Pacific Standard |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Greenfield, Massachusetts

    Before 2011, 40% of residents of Greenfield, Massachusetts did not have Internet access. The mayor hired someone to help the town become its own Internet Service Provider, build out the necessary fiber, and fund the entire project without raising taxes. Dan Kelley, who oversaw the project, said “the biggest reason the plan in Greenfield has worked is because of the buy-in commitment made by the town’s residents.” The new affordable Internet is helping residents throughout the town stay connected.

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  • Psychiatrist in a horse barn

    March 17, 2016 |

    The Post Crescent |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin

    Wisconsin confronts a lack of psychiatrists, in particular those who specialize in working with children. The state has begun a telepsychiatry program that enables a psychiatrist to counsel children in remote rural areas. By using webcams, the program has succeeded at eliminating travel time for psychiatrists and appropriating resources to directly and quickly serve those who need them.

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  • Telepsychiatry spreading mental health help

    March 17, 2016 |

    The Post Crescent |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Marshfield, Wisconsin

    Fifty-one counties in the state of Wisconsin do not have child psychiatrists to provide counseling because most of them live in widely populated urban areas. Wisconsin psychiatrists now are offering telepsychiatry, which enables young people to do video conferencing and live chatting with a psychiatrist even if they are in rural areas. The program has shown that it is just as effective as in-person treatment; however, Wisconsin does not allow private insurers to pay for telemedicine services so the reimbursement for telepsychiatrists is still problematic.

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