Don't romanticize the gig economy: Freelancers often work more, new study finds.

The question is, how can we make employment fair for everyone?

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  • A new study from Russia's Higher School of Economics details the many disadvantages of freelancing.
  • Problems with the gig economy include longer working hours, working on weekends and holidays, and no employee benefits.
  • New legislation in California is attempting to address these issues, but may harm more than it helps.
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To overthrow a tyrant, try the 3.5 Percent Solution

A study of 323 uprisings against repressive regimes yields stunning insights.

  • No democracy movement has ever failed when it was able to mobilize at least 3.5 percent of the population to protest over a sustained period
  • At that scale, most soldiers have no desire to suppress protesters. Why? Because the crowd includes their family members, friends, coworkers, and neighbors.
  • With a population of 327 million, the U.S. would need to mobilize about 11.5 million people to assert popular, democratic power on the government. Could that happen?
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With our low voter turnout, is America still a democracy?

In Upheaval, Jared Diamond points out the sad facts of American voter turnout.

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  • In his latest book, Upheaval, Jared Diamond points out that America's voter turnout is the lowest of all prosperous democracies.
  • While Australia, Belgium, and Indonesia top at 90 percent voter turnout, America's average is around 60 — and that's only during presidential races.
  • Local elections are even lower; the last Los Angeles mayoral race only turned out 20 percent of Angelenos.
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Climate change is here. It's time to begin "managed retreats" according to scholars.

Humans hate to surrender, but this clearly makes good sense.

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  • In a new Science article, three academics make the case for managed retreat due to climate change.
  • Beginning the process now instead of waiting until it's too late will save money and lives.
  • Indonesia is moving its capital from Jakarta to Borneo as the former city is sinking.
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There are 12 million stateless people in the world. Who are they?

Without a country to belong to, many of these people lack some of the most fundamental rights.

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  • According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the world is host to 12 million people who don't officially belong to any state.
  • People can become stateless through a variety of means, including racial discrimination, sexist nationality laws, voluntary choice, or bureaucratic accidents.
  • Who are these millions of stateless individuals? What is life like for them? Can their situation be solved?
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