Vaccinating in Taliban Country
In June 2012, North Waziristan’s Taliban leader issued a fatwa banning polio vaccination campaigns. The violence came swiftly.
December 06th, 2024
public health
October 10th, 2022
How a Sludge-Filled Policy Stoked Uncertainty and Fear for Immigrant Families
In 2019, a harsh immigration policy deterred many immigrants from applying for the public assistance they needed. A revamped rule aims to right that wrong.
April 19th, 2022
The Craft of Forecasting Our Possible Futures: A Conversation with Jane McGonigal
Jane McGonigal designs simulations that transport people into possible futures to test our response to the threats, risks, and challenges we might face. And to help us feel less anxious, more creative, and helpful as we forge ahead.
August 23rd, 2021
A Failure of Fear: Why Certain Nations Flunked the COVID-19 Threat Test
Loose cultures prize individual liberty. This trait works well until society-wide threats—like COVID—arise. Here’s how loose societies can maximize liberty and safety in the face of a future crisis.
May 24th, 2021
India’s Digital Samaritans: Can Social Media Be a Force for Good?
The prevailing public and media narrative about social media has often focused on the negatives. Yet social media platforms have proved crucial during India’s COVID-19 crisis. Here’s how we can make sense of it all.
May 17th, 2021
“Just Following Orders” Doesn’t Let You Off the Hook Psychologically
How does our level of agency over a decision influence how culpable we feel, when that decision leads to death?
February 15th, 2021
Time to End Assumption that Public Health Interventions Encourage Risk
We lost time—and probably lives—because of the assumption that health interventions like mask wearing encourage recklessness. It’s time we put this assumption to rest.
August 11th, 2020
Challenges Facing a COVID-19 Vaccine: A Behavioral Science Perspective
In addition to creating a COVID-19 vaccine, we need a major push to understand how people will react to it. Here are the questions we need to ask now to get ahead of the potential behavioral challenges.
June 22nd, 2020
Secondhand Smoke, Moral Sanctions, and How We Should Respond to COVID-19
We are reluctant to tell people how to live their lives, except insofar as individual decisions affect the lives of others. We can learn a valuable lesson for the present moment from the examples of smoking and drunk driving.
May 26th, 2020
Designing Buildings for Health: A Q&A with Joseph Allen
Our buildings can make us sick or keep us well. That is why health should be a top priority when we design and construct our buildings, says Jospeh Allen.
