Economic Good News

Stories about money and economics being used for good — and good being done for money and economies

A before image of a dry and brown Loess Plateau, and an after image of the same space covered in greenery

These 'Holistic Engineers' Have a Plan To Restore a Dry Egyptian Desert Into a Lush Forest

A group of “holistic engineers” wants to return the arid Sinai peninsula to the lush, green landscape it once was.

A smiling mother lifts her smiling daughter into the sky

Government and Nonprofit Actions Likely Kept Millions of Americans Out of Food Insecurity During the Pandemic

As the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated, the United States can, I believe, assure a “right to food” in the United States through government interventions, especially through expansions in benefits and SNAP eligibility.

Portrait of Jason Wang with light shining through the windows

After Leaving Prison, This Man is Helping End Recidivism

Jason Wang is the founder of FreeWorld — a nonprofit that helps people who were formerly incarcerated start a well-paying post-prison career in the trucking industry.

The view from inside of a bus in New York City

Cities Are Mobilizing to Equitably Expand Public Transit

During the pandemic, commuter trains ran nearly empty while buses shuttled essential workers. Now, cities are reevaluating where they spent their transit dollars.

A series of wind turbines on a hill at sunset

Renewable Energy Jobs Grew Globally in 2020, Defying Expectations

Clean energy jobs rose to 12 million last year even amid the pandemic but officials say green employment must come with decent conditions and bring in more women.

This Nonprofit Is Providing Hope for North Korean Refugees

Liberty in North Korea believes the North Korean people will achieve liberty in our lifetime. Here's why we can be hopeful about North Korea — and how to make a difference.

Tilling North St. Louis, Planting for a Healthier Future

Large swaths of St. Louis are without easy access to fresh food and nutritious produce. These “food deserts,” are most often in low-income communities. Organizers, farmers, and nonprofits are using a variety of creative methods to ensure people have access to the food they need

This App is Fighting Food Insecurity in the U.S.

Food banks and nonprofits do an amazing job helping people who live with food insecurity. But the stigma around asking for help causes some people to go without. Using mobile technology and existing food sector systems, this startup is connecting hungry people.

States Are Buying Hotels to House Displaced Wildfire Survivors

The climate crisis and the pandemic are spurring local governments to take action — and finally, begin to address chronic homelessness.

Can churches help to ease the affordable-housing shortage?

Houses of worship own billions worth of empty, deteriorating, or underused real estate. Some local governments and denominations are overcoming obstacles to carve it into badly needed housing for their communities.

New Vending Machines Are Bringing Safe, Cheap Water to Nairobi's Slums

Until now, Mukuru residents have had no option but to buy polluted water from informal vendors charging exorbitant prices

Lawmakers Are Tackling ‘Period Poverty’ with Tax Cuts and School Supplies

As with many national social movements, young people have been on the frontlines of the menstrual equity push. In 2020, students across the country raised money, lobbied, held school assemblies, and launched social media campaigns to make period products free in their schools