economy

Ancient latrines

A new study tracks the ancient Roman economy using the city’s early lead plumbing

Researchers examining soil cores from an early Roman harbor found correlations between layers of lead and the city’s economic growth.

A new study tracks the ancient Roman economy using the city’s early lead plumbing
Woman looks at her phone

A world without men? When men go abroad to work, women in Nepal take the lead at home.

A world without men? When men go abroad to work, women in Nepal take the lead at home.
Tijuana

Why Haitians are stranded in Mexico

Why Haitians are stranded in Mexico
Ethiopian drought/water jugs

In Ethiopia and other countries, drought related to El Niño is causing a hunger crisis

In Ethiopia and other countries, drought related to El Niño is causing a hunger crisis
Gleide Guimarães

The bigger problems behind Brazil's recent disease outbreaks

The bigger problems behind Brazil's recent disease outbreaks
mad taxi drivers

Every time you hail an Uber, you're killing America's middle class

The "freelance economy" might not be so great after all. Author Steven Hill argues that companies like TaskRabbit and Uber are undermining the American middle class.

Every time you hail an Uber, you're killing America's middle class
Ukraine's little "superior ones" just want to have fun.

Ukraine’s wild and crazy rich kids

The children of ranking officials and wealthy businessmen have long found themselves on the wrong side of the law, but their connections typically get them off the hook.

Ukraine’s wild and crazy rich kids
A man stands next to an electronic board in Shanghai showing the benchmark stock indices for Shanghai and Shenzhen, after the new circuit breaker mechanism suspended Thursday’s stock trading on the market in Shanghai, China, on January 7, 2016.

China’s stock markets are plummeting, but that’s only part of the story

The markets in China are tanking and the pain spread quickly to other parts of the global economy. But the bigger worry is what happens with the Chinese currency.

China’s stock markets are plummeting, but that’s only part of the story
Argentina's President Mauricio Macri arrives for a session of the Summit of Heads of State of MERCOSUR and Associated States and 49th Meeting of the Common Market Council in Luque, Paraguay, December 21, 2015.

Argentina devalues its currency to boost its export business

Argentina's new president want to open his country to the world. Argentines have been there before. It didn't end well.

Argentina devalues its currency to boost its export business
Dollar bills

The American middle class is shrinking

For the first time in history, fewer than half of American households are in the middle class. The poorest segment and the richest segment are both growing.

The American middle class is shrinking
Four years after a forced eviction from ancestral land, the father of 9 year old Revan Pragustiawan says his son is traumatized and afraid to meet people.

In the disappearing rainforests of Indonesia, a 9-year-old boy copes with the trauma of eviction

Everything changed for Revan Pragustiawan one morning when a World Bank-backed company pulled up in heavy vehicles and order everyone to leave. The family and everyone else in their hamlet fled while their homes were flattened by bulldozers. What is the World Bank doing?

In the disappearing rainforests of Indonesia, a 9-year-old boy copes with the trauma of eviction
Kids play soccer during a training session at Sao Carlos slum in Rio de Janeiro May 15, 2014.

For this expat, moving back to Brazil wasn't all sunshine and samba

Many Brazilian expats returned to Brazil in 2008. A booming economy led many believe the country would become the next world power. That was enough for reporter Juliana Barbassa, but her experience didn't exactly work out the way she thought.

For this expat, moving back to Brazil wasn't all sunshine and samba
Zimbabwean hunter Theo Bronkhorst (center) waits to appear in Hwange magistrates court. Bronkhorst is one of the two Zimbabwean men who were paid $50,000 by an American hunter who killed "Cecil," the country's best-known lion.

A lion slaying in Zimbabwe sparks debate about the future of big game hunting

Big game and the death of a lion in Zimbabwe is sparking a very big controversy.

A lion slaying in Zimbabwe sparks debate about the future of big game hunting
Mayor of Thessaloniki Yannis Boutaris poses after an interview with Reuters inside the townhall of Thessaloniki in northern Greece November 7, 2012.

If you think living in Greece in an age of austerity is tough, try running one of its cities

Greece has had a hard time dealing with austerity measures imposed by its European counterparts. But there's one mayor, the tattooed, foul-mouthed scion of a winemaking dynasty, who European leaders call a "beacon of hope" for the country.

If you think living in Greece in an age of austerity is tough, try running one of its cities
A man walks past a closed store with signs reading "Closing down sale" and "Everything goes, shoes, clothes, take advantage" in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, June 29, 2015.

To help Puerto Rico, we might want to think of it more like Detroit

Puerto Rico has a terrible economy. That's why some economists think that allowing it to file Chapter 9 bankruptcy might be a good idea.

To help Puerto Rico, we might want to think of it more like Detroit