Economy
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Happier Employees, Higher Profits: Covid’s Surprising Lesson for Restaurants
As the pandemic pummeled the industry, some restaurateurs bucked trends by paying their employees even more. Now it’s paying off.
‘Internships’ for Adults Are Helping Women Rejoin the Workforce
Covid put a multi-year gap in millions of resumés. Now some companies are offering a supportive path back.
Meet the Co-ops Building a More Ethical Food Delivery System
The Grubhub model is here to stay. But community-based delivery services could be lifelines for small restaurants battling huge commission fees.
Liberia’s Beekeepers Harness the Power of Simplicity
“Once you have the skills to build one beehive, you can make 100.”
South Africa Is Pioneering a Better World for Domestic Workers
How a country known for labor abuses under apartheid became a place where groundbreaking worker protections are forged.
Where Immigrant Women, Usually Exploited by Fashion, Run the Show
How one Chicago cooperative is reverse-engineering apparel’s colonialist business model.
Related Collections
2021 Was the Year Cargo Shipping Pivoted Green
Political, economic and technological stars are aligning to make a stubbornly carbon-intensive industry sustainable.
The Computer Designed to Last
Repairable, upgradable computers are here, and could make your next laptop something you own for a very long time.
Inside the Pandemic’s Worker-Powered Co-op Business Boom
As the world reels through uncharted economic territory, the co-op model has become more popular than ever.
Why ‘Work from Anywhere’ Works for Refugees
As remote employment becomes the norm, some refugees are discovering new opportunities and autonomy.
Grandparents Watching the Kids? Your Job Could Be Paying Them
An app that helps employers pay for babysitting — even when those babysitters are friends and family — is changing child care economics.
The Surprising Lives of Germany’s ‘Basic Income’ Raffle Winners
For nearly a decade, a German contest has given hundreds of people 12 months of no-strings cash to see how it might change their lives.
How Bogotá’s Waste Pickers Reinvented Their Jobs for a Modern City
As waste collection gets professionalized, the people who keep Bogotá clean and green are making sure they’re not left behind.
Making the Business of Juneteenth Pay Off for Black America
Corporations are embracing Juneteenth. Are they living up to the day’s true meaning?
Akron Citizens Earn ‘Reward Points’ For Shopping Local
It’s a system modeled on the loyalty clubs used by many retailers — but for an entire city.
When One City Gave People Cash, They Went Out and Got Jobs
Residents of Stockton, California who received $500 a month disproved the notion that handouts make people lazy.
When Italians Abandoned This Village, Refugees Brought It Back to Life
Camini was down to 300 residents when it transformed itself into a magnet for refugees. Now it’s thriving.
Spain’s Four-Day Work Week Is a Game Changer
Most experiments with four-day weeks have been motivated by corporate self-interest. That could be changing.
We Can Eliminate Child Poverty
The U.S. stimulus bill includes guaranteed monthly payments to families with children. Will it work? It already has.
The Bakery That’s Owned by an Idea
When sales at a Bay Area bread company took off, its owner struck an unusual deal to make sure its employees would always benefit.
The Deal That’s Saving San Francisco’s Restaurants
As the lockdowns began one year ago, Lenore Estrada discovered a customer base that would save dozens of businesses like hers.
A 19th Century Fund Is Still Helping Philadelphia’s Smallest Businesses
Founded at a time when the government offered little, the Merchants Fund continues to keep tiny businesses afloat.
Libraries Are Going Fine-Free
As fees for overdue items are forgiven, bookworms are flocking back.
Vancouver Gave Homeless People $5,800. It Changed Their Lives.
A single infusion of cash helped recipients pay their rent, get to work — and put their lives back on track.
The Surprising Effect of a One-Time Gift
How a single infusion of cash can help folks turn their lives around.
The Year the ‘Third World’ Came in First
The pandemic has finally busted the outdated myth that so-called developing countries are less resilient than their wealthier peers.
The Casino That Farms Its Own Food
A stone’s throw from the blackjack tables, bison are grazing, beehives are buzzing, crops are growing — and nature is winning.
Berlin’s Second-Hand Craze Is Turning It into a ‘Zero-Waste City’
Buying used goods is trendier than ever, and the capital’s retailers are responding.
A New Generation of Black Farmers Is Cultivating Self-Determination
By going back to the land, Black farmers are resuming a journey toward “food sovereignty” that began centuries ago.
We Know How to Fix Student Debt
The U.S. government spends more on higher education than many countries where students graduate with far less debt. Is there a better way?
How Portland Makes Local Food Work for Everyone
A food hub known as the Redd solves the business and logistical challenges of local food — and helps small farmers become a big deal.
No-Strings Cash Is Helping Black-Owned Businesses Survive
Money from friends and family is what helps many startups survive during tough times. One organization is playing that role for black entrepreneurs.
Germany Is Leading the World Toward a Green Recovery
As Europe’s biggest economy reboots, it — and many others — are planning to transition away from fossil fuels.
No Resumé? No References? No Problem
What happens when you hire the first qualified job applicant who walks through the door?
The Planet-Saving Potential of Whale Poop
How a chance encounter on the high seas between scientists and an IMF economist led to a trillion-dollar epiphany about earth’s largest creature.
Are You Going to Eat That?
A chain of German supermarkets is selling expired yogurt, mislabled jam and chocolate Santas in July. Is this the grocery store of the future?
Make Trains Not War
A landmark deal to let China build Boston’s new subway cars shows how a little creative collaboration could rescue America’s infrastructure.
The Slow Demise of Cash Bail
As it bans holding defendants on bail for nonviolent crimes, New York is the latest state to challenge America’s bizarre system of money for freedom.
Sowing the Seeds of a New Agricultural Economy
Economic risk prevents poor Cambodian farmers from switching to crops that are more valuable and better for the land. What if they had guaranteed income?
Austerity Is Not the Only Way: Portugal!
While other European countries cut their budgets to the bone, Portugal lent its citizens a helping hand. Guess who came out on top.
Free the Floodplains!
Millions of Americans live at risk of flooding, but slow federal flood buyouts drain precious time and resources. How one community is rising above the storm, taking matters into their own hands, and returning the floodplain to nature.
Dead Plants are Powering Stockholm
The biochar process is ingenious, turning green waste into heat before returning it to the soil as an agricultural nutrient. No wonder it’s turning a profit.
DIY: Cleveland Comes Back
Inside the laundry-and-lettuce co-op empire that’s reviving local industry in Cleveland—this time, on the employees’ terms.
How China Sold Us a Solar-Powered World
All those pictures of smog-cloaked Chinese cities mask the fact that China’s cheap solar panels have fueled the world’s green-energy revolution.
Doing the Right Thing is Good Business
These days, fossil fuels look like a shakier investment than ever. As more investors decide the smart money is on clean energy, a tipping point appears near.
The Viking Guide to Oil Wealth Management
While other countries let corporate interests plunder their oil, Norway strong-armed the CEOs into giving its citizens a windfall.
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