Annotations Blog

Annotations is a newsletter featuring commentary and blog-style writing on timely topics in domestic policy, international relations and development, and economic policy from SPIA students and alumni.

IMF Bailouts Won’t Fix Egypt’s State-Controlled Economy
Dec. 11, 2023
Author
Written by Nathan McQuarrie

If Egypt continues to receive IMF funding without relinquishing state-control of its economy, it will never escape its financial crisis and will only require more bailouts.

Regulating AI: Opportunities to Combat Algorithmic Bias and Technological Redlining
Dec. 4, 2023
Author
Written by Kristina Lorch

The increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence technologies in the United States has generated a new kind of redlining risk through algorithmic bias. President Biden’s recent executive order provides one of several opportunities to curb this risk.

Loss & Damage Needs a New Governance Model
Nov. 17, 2023
Author
Written by Christian Perkins

Countries with the highest historic carbon emissions – and therefore most responsible for the worst effects of a warmed planet – should pay for climate-induced damages.

Palestinians at the Center: Three Takeaways from Gaza and Israel
Oct. 13, 2023
Author
Written by Omar Elhaj

The only way toward collective liberation for both Palestinians and Israelis is decolonization and ensuring equal rights to land, freedoms, and justice.

Heat-Linked Parametric Insurance System Offers Climate Change Lifeline for Indian Women in the Informal Sector
Oct. 6, 2023
Author
Written by Aditi Desai

How a novel heat-microinsurance program launched in Gujarat, India protects informal female workers by replacing income lost due to climate-driven extreme heat events.

Formalizing Africa's Informal Sector Through the AfCFTA: An Opportunity for Economic Transformation
Sept. 11, 2023
Author
Written by Funke Aderonmu

As African states move to accelerate regional integration through free trade, can they harness Africa's economic powerhouse - the informal economy?

India's National Register of Citizens Threatens Mass Statelessness
June 2, 2023
Author
Written by Uma Menon

Leaders in support of the National Register of Citizens ought to consider the policy’s harmful consequences, which stand in contradiction to India’s constitutional principles of human rights and secularism. 

When Water Runs Dry, Women and Girls Bear the Brunt
April 11, 2023
Author
Written by Ariza Francisco

The Consequences for Health of Women and Girls in the Horn of Africa

Eliminating the Unnecessary Risk of Congressional Part-Time Military Service
Jan. 31, 2023
Author
Written by Wyatt Suling

As policymakers seek to mitigate threats to civil-military relations, one phenomenon that should be addressed is that of members of Congress serving in the National Guard or Reserves.

The Rent is Too Damn High. It's Time for Tenants to Organize.
Jan. 17, 2023
Author
Written by Liz Brown

Without the right to organize, tenants don’t stand a chance against the increasingly concentrated power of landlords.

No More Stalling: Close LA County's Men's Central Jail Now!
Dec. 20, 2022
Author
Written by Sergio Rodriguez Camarena

Now, more than ever, we can signal to the rest of the state and the country that LA County can lead efforts to decarcerate and rectify the overcriminalization of many of LA County’s most vulnerable populations. 

Seven States Vye for Water: The Colorado River Crisis in the American West
Aug. 11, 2022
Author
Written by Claire Kaufman

The federal government needs to coordinate a response that ensures equitable water allocation, conservation, and adaptation, while continuing to aggressively address climate change.

Re-centering Morality in International Development
April 28, 2022
Author
Written by Ishita Batra

A Conversation with Professor Manish Bhardwaj, CEO and co-founder of Innovators in Health

Food Security and Debt: Rebooting Puerto Rican Agriculture as a Path Out of Crisis
April 14, 2022
Author
Written by André Zollinger

Puerto Rico can and should see food security not just as a basic right but also as a potential engine for growth on the island.

How to Save the World's Greatest Deliberative Body From Becoming a Graveyard: Reform the Filibuster
March 31, 2022
Author
Written by Odette Overton

Save democracy, or save the filibuster.

Burnt by Phoenix: Canada's Costly Lesson in Public Financial Management
March 3, 2022
Author
Written by Jack Diao

How can Canada's Phoenix pay system fiasco shed light on ways to avoid program mismanagement and foster sound economic and financial stewardship?

Strengthening New Jersey’s Workforce and Making Higher Education More Affordable
Feb. 3, 2022
Author
Written by TJ Sell

A Conversation with Dr. Brian Bridges, Secretary of Higher Education for New Jersey

Peru's Blueprint for Equity in Higher Education
Nov. 18, 2021
Author
Written by María Luisa Zeta

Can a more flexible admissions process decrease inequality in access to higher education in Peru?

How Mexico Can Help Solve the U.S. Gun Control Problem
Nov. 4, 2021
Author
Written by Francisco Javier García Bellego
Mexico's lawsuit against U.S. gunmakers gives the Biden administration an opportunity to strengthen its gun control plan.
Closing the AI Skills Gap Requires a Whole-of-Society Approach
Aug. 26, 2021
Author
Written by Lynne Guey

We need to think beyond STEM education.