Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 351 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

What's deadly dull and can save the world? (Hint: We can't stand it)

Maite Vermeulen

April 14, 2016 |

The Correspondent |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Haiti

A lack of bureaucratic services has kept people in poverty around the world by limiting the number of documents attainable by citizens who have a low-income, verifying proof of property ownership. "Capacity building" in the form of sending "tax inspectors without borders," book-keeping classes, and expanding bureaucratic services for places in need, allow people to make investments in their properties that can lift them above the poverty line.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Our drinking water systems are a disaster. What can we do?

Erica Gies

April 11, 2016 |

Ensia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

The water system in the United States is beginning to be in need of replacement. In order to facilitate this infrastructure project and prevent it from becoming overwhelming, technology such as water sensors and software are being used to monitor water usage and replace the pipes that are most dire as they degrade.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Come for the pizza, stay for the power: why Boston let teenagers set its budget

Sandra Larson

March 31, 2016 |

The Guardian |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

Boston’s Youth Lead the Change engages young people in municipal decision-making by putting them in charge of determining how one million dollars is spent every year. Participants learn how city government works, submit project ideas, and vote on which proposals to fund. It’s not a simulation. The money is real.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Canton police vow to maintain momentum despite budget concerns

Kelly Byer

March 22, 2016 |

The Canton Repository |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Canton, Ohio

National research suggests that training officers in community policing and using city crime analyses is more effective in lowering gun and drug crime, then hiring more cops to a department.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The Troubled City of San Bernardino Works to Save Its Library

Deborah Fallows

February 16, 2016 |

The Atlantic |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Bernardino, California

In the aftermath of the 2015 shooting in San Bernardino, the city relies on the public library as a grounding location that welcomes all. Though the library has seen drastic cuts in funding and staff, it invests in community ties and volunteer relationships to make sure the city has a welcoming place with adequate resources and an environment that fosters acceptance and curiosity.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Estonia: Digital Society

Fi Glover Henrietta Moore Martha Lane Fox

February 03, 2016 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Estonia

Government services are easily accessible in Estonia in part because everything is online. A digital signature carries the same weight as a physical signature, and data is shared between offices allowing forms such as tax returns to be pre-filled for citizens. The country leapfrogged the rest of the world, investing in digital literacy and infrastructure in an effort to serve its small, spread-out population.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Zero-Based Budgeting

Larry Platt

January 16, 2016 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Montgomery, Alabama

Josh Shapiro has reimagined how suburban public dollars are spent and reinvented government in the process: Beginning at zero. In doing so, he has stripped the budget of non-core line items.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Impressive New Scores for Newark Charters Raise an Awkward Question: Did City Pick the Wrong Strategy?

Richard Whitmire

January 12, 2016 |

The 74 |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Newark, New Jersey

Impressive PARCC scores for Newark charters beg the question—did city choose wrong strategy? The charter schools were able to bring in students' parents and fill holes in students' knowledge by starting with the basics in math and reading.

Read More
Go to Original Story
It Took 20 Years For The Government To Pay For An Obvious Way To Prevent HIV

Anna Maria Barry-Jester

January 08, 2016 |

FiveThirtyEight |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Tacoma, Washington

After years of seeing evidence that needle exchange programs helped prevent the spread of HIV, Congress finally lifted its ban on federal funding for groups that provide the service.

Read More
Go to Original Story
An Investment Strategy to Save the Planet

Tina Rosenberg

January 05, 2016 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

In light of climate change, New York State's Common Retirement Fund, the country's third-largest pension fund, decided to invest in a way that rewards companies with low carbon footprints.

Read More
Go to Original Story