Accessibility links
development development
Stories About

development

Wednesday

A watershed moment in the west?
Kirk Siegler/NPR

The Indicator from Planet Money

A watershed moment in the west?

Arizona officials announced this month that all the groundwater in the Phoenix metro area is spoken for, potentially affecting its fast-growing suburbs. Despite the initial shock, the news hasn't exactly slowed development — or home prices. On today's show, we ask whether Greater Phoenix, and the west overall, is inching closer to a reckoning over water.

A watershed moment in the west?

Listen · 9:32
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1183606778/1198987365" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

What A 30,000-Person Survey Reveals About Day-To-Day Life In The Pandemic

Workers from the garment sector block a road during a protest to demand payment of due wages, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in April 2020. They claimed that factories had not paid them after retailers and brands cancelled orders due to worldwide lockdown measures. Munir Uz Zaman/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Munir Uz Zaman/AFP via Getty Images

Goats and Soda

What A 30,000-Person Survey Reveals About Day-To-Day Life In The Pandemic

The responses reveal the impact on living standards in nine low- and middle-income countries — and may help governments find a way to help citizens most in need.

Monday

Monday

Tuesday

China's Building Spree In Poor Nations: Does It Really Help The Local Economy?

The circles on the map pinpoint the location of thousands of Chinese-funded development projects. The bigger the circle, the bigger the investment. The largest circles represent projects in the multibillion-dollar range. Map by Soren Patterson, AidData/William & Mary/Screenshot by NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Map by Soren Patterson, AidData/William & Mary/Screenshot by NPR

Goats and Soda

China's Building Spree In Poor Nations: Does It Really Help The Local Economy?

There are a lot of state secrets when it comes to the billions of dollars worth of roads, hospitals and more. Satellite images of night lights may offer some insights into their value.

Wednesday

Food, Peace Building, Legal Aid: What Trump Would Cut From Central America

Migrants heading toward the U.S. carry Honduran and Guatemalan national flags in Guatemala on Monday. President Trump has threatened to cut off aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador for failing to stop the caravan's journey. Orlando Estrada/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Orlando Estrada/AFP/Getty Images

The Americas

Food, Peace Building, Legal Aid: What Trump Would Cut From Central America

As thousands of migrants move toward the U.S., these are the programs President Trump is threatening to cut in retaliation.

Thursday

Opinion: China's Role As The World's Development Bank Cannot Be Ignored

A woman walks in front of the China Development Bank tower in the Pudong district of Shanghai in 2015. That and the Export-Import Bank of China have provided nearly $1 trillion in financing to foreign governments since the early 2000s. Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty Images

Opinion

China Unbound

Opinion: China's Role As The World's Development Bank Cannot Be Ignored

China's development banks provide as much financing to developing countries as the World Bank does, Boston University's Kevin Gallagher explains.

Sunday

Monday

The Birthplace Of 'Gross National Happiness' Is Growing A Bit Cynical

The environment is central to Bhutan's Gross National Happiness. The Index measures a myriad of issue including attitudes on conservation, pollution and waste. Preserving 60% of Bhutan's forests is enshrined in the constitution to maintain the country ecological diversity. Julie McCarthy for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Julie McCarthy for NPR

Parallels

The Birthplace Of 'Gross National Happiness' Is Growing A Bit Cynical

Tourists flock to this happy nation and the world has tried to emulate its happiness index. But inside Bhutan, some residents say the country's having difficulty living up to the glowing brand.

Thursday

Sunday

Monday

Saturday

China Pledges Billions In Development Aid

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left walks with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, on Saturday at U.N. headquarters in New York. At a U.N. conference, Xi pledged billions in Chinese aid to developing nations. Bryan R. Smith/AP hide caption

toggle caption
Bryan R. Smith/AP

The Two-Way

China Pledges Billions In Development Aid

President Xi Jinping, speaking at a United Nations conference in New York, says Beijing hopes to increase its share to a total of $12 billion by 2030.

Wednesday

Monday

Mechanization Brings Quick Change To Borneo Region Known For 'Slow Rice'

Workers with Ceria wait for a pipe-welding machine to finish connecting two sections of plastic irrigation pipe in Bario, Malaysia. The company has brought mechanized farming to the Kelabit Highlands. Jerry Redfern for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Jerry Redfern for NPR

The Salt

Mechanization Brings Quick Change To Borneo Region Known For 'Slow Rice'

A company is introducing mechanized rice farming to the interior of Malaysian Borneo for the first time. Scientists say the change may damage the bonds between the local people and their environment.