Turkey’s Earthquake Raises Questions, the Digitalization of Work in America, and More

February 8, 2023

Percentage of high digital occupations across U.S. metropolitan and micropolitan areas, 2020 without title

As the digitalization of work expands, place-based solutions can bridge the gaps

Shifts in the post-pandemic labor market coupled with policy experiments at the state and federal levels are building the potential for a distinctive new policy paradigm—one that addresses the nation’s digitalization divide and the desperate need for skill-building and digital transformation in communities. Mark Muro and Sifan Liu discuss how place-based problem-solving can accelerate digital skill-building and local economic development.

An aerial view shows collapsed and damaged buildings following an earthquake in Hatay

Turkey’s earthquake death toll might be more than just a natural disaster

“Natural disaster is one aspect of the story. Turkey’s reliance on construction-driven economic growth, cronyism and willingness to ignore its own building standards is the other. The first was unavoidable. Did the second lead to mass casualties? At the very minimum, the Turkish people will have every right to demand a thorough investigation of precisely that question,” writes Aslı Aydıntaşbaş.

Read in The Washington Post

Soldiers drive by walking Mali residents

Will rising insecurity erase West Africa’s economic development gains?

Following recent coups d’état in Burkina Faso, Guinea, and Mali, West Africa is facing significant instability risks. Mounir Siaplay and Eric Werker examine the governance issues that have made this region so vulnerable, assess the economic impacts, and outline ways to reverse the trends of insecurity.