Tackling Global Poverty and Hunger, South Africa’s Elections, and More

October 30, 2021

South Africa's municipal elections: A referendum on political parties and local democracy

This Monday, South Africans will go to the polls in the sixth round of local government elections since the country’s democratic transition in 1994. Danielle Resnick discusses how South Africa’s elections work, looks at data on citizens’ levels of trust in government, and explains why the 2021 contests are so significant.

A brief history of online influence operations

“As America’s deeply challenged vaccination effort so strikingly suggests, misleading facts, conspiracy theories and political disinformation circulating online could pose a clear and present danger to democratic society.” Jacob Rob and Jacob Shapiro chronicle the history of online influence operations from 2004 to present and outline what is needed to truly understand our information environment.

The importance of international investment in food and agriculture

Five large international organizations have contributed significantly to food and agricultural development globally, but their resources alone are not enough to achieve transformational reductions in poverty and hunger. Uma Lele calls for increased investment to bring about lasting change.

Brookings experts on the UN Climate Summit

Beginning tomorrow, world leaders and climate experts will convene for the 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26). In this roundup, see what scholars from across Brookings have to say about the summit, including its potential impacts on international security, biodiversity, the clean energy transition, and more.

🎧 Prefer to listen to something? Amar Bhattacharya joins this week’s Brookings Cafeteria podcast to discuss what would make COP26 a success in his eyes.

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