The 85%

If there’s one thing that unites the world’s fastest growing cities, it is the mind-numbing experience of being stuck in traffic. Across the emerging world, the cost of congestion, which cuts into work hours and erodes people’s well-being, amounts to economic losses in the billions. This week, we’re going to take a look at two cities where experimental solutions to traffic have cropped up. Aya Lowe (@AyaloweCNA) reports from the Philippine capital Manila, where startups are building dorms for people who suffer hours-long journeys to work. And Lucinda Elliott (@lucinda_elliott) takes us to São Paulo, Brazil, where on-demand helicopters are helping commuters rise above the fray.

If there’s one thing that unites the world’s fastest growing cities, it is the mind-numbing experience of being stuck in traffic. Across the emerging world, the cost of congestion, which cuts into work hours and erodes people’s well-being, amounts to economic losses in the billions. This week, we’re going to take a look at two cities where experimental solutions to traffic have cropped up. Aya Lowe (@AyaloweCNA) reports from the Philippine capital Manila, where startups are building dorms for people who suffer hours-long journeys to work. And Lucinda Elliott (@lucinda_elliott) takes us to São Paulo, Brazil, where on-demand helicopters are helping commuters rise above the fray.

We're back with more from Branko Milanović, professor at the City University of New York’s Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality, and author of the book, "Global Inequality: A New Approach for the Age of Globalization." Last week, producer Meara Sharma talked with Milanović about the factors that have driven inequities among nations and societies for centuries. While the last two decades have seen, for the first time since the industrial revolution, a decline in global inequality, the gulf that divides the haves from the have-nots remains extreme. So this week, we’re going to talk about solutions: how that gulf can be bridged, and whether there’s the political will to do so.

We're back with more from Branko Milanović, professor at the City University of New York’s Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality, and author of the book, "Global Inequality: A New Approach for the Age of Globalization." Last week, producer Meara Sharma talked with Milanović about the factors that have driven inequities among nations and societies for centuries. While the last two decades have seen, for the first time since the industrial revolution, a decline in global inequality, the gulf that divides the haves from the have-nots remains extreme. So this week, we’re going to talk about solutions: how that gulf can be bridged, and whether there’s the political will to do so.

We talk a lot on this show about how economic developments in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East are reshaping the global order. We’re also interested in another aspect of that story: the challenge of income inequality in the emerging world.

Branko Milanović (@BrankoMilan) is a rockstar in the field of income inequality. He’s a professor at the City University of New York’s Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality, and his most recent book is Global Inequality: A New Approach for the Age of Globalization. Our producer Meara Sharma had a wide-ranging conversation with Milanović about the forces that have long shaped economic disparities, and the interventions that could lead to a more equitable future. On this week’s show you will hear part one of their conversation. Stay tuned next week for part two.

We talk a lot on this show about how economic developments in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East are reshaping the global order. We’re also interested in another aspect of that story: the challenge of income inequality in the emerging world.

Branko Milanović (@BrankoMilan) is a rockstar in the field of income inequality. He’s a professor at the City University of New York’s Stone Center on Socio-Economic Inequality, and his most recent book is Global Inequality: A New Approach for the Age of Globalization. Our producer Meara Sharma had a wide-ranging conversation with Milanović about the forces that have long shaped economic disparities, and the interventions that could lead to a more equitable future. On this week’s show you will hear part one of their conversation. Stay tuned next week for part two.

The global Islamic economy - comprised of products and services that embody Islamic ethics - is a multi-trillion dollar industry. But Islamically-branded products are often seen as traditional rather than hip and cutting-edge. This week, Rabiya Jaffery of the podcast Kerning Cultures (@kerningcultures) brings us a story of a new company that is trying to shift that perception, by reimagining an ancient Muslim toothbrushing tradition for today’s youth.

The global Islamic economy - comprised of products and services that embody Islamic ethics - is a multi-trillion dollar industry. But Islamically-branded products are often seen as traditional rather than hip and cutting-edge. This week, Rabiya Jaffery of the podcast Kerning Cultures (@kerningcultures) brings us a story of a new company that is trying to shift that perception, by reimagining an ancient Muslim toothbrushing tradition for today’s youth.

As countries move up the development spectrum, they tend to produce more trash, and across the emerging world, governments are struggling to keep up. The result is serious environmental and health hazards that often reinforce pre-existing inequalities. On this episode, we’ll hear about efforts to deal with waste in Brazil and India, two countries where rapid urbanization and industrialization has made trash a pressing problem. Zoe Sullivan (@zoesullnews) reports on a favela in Rio de Janeiro that, in the face of official neglect, is taking trash matters into its own hands. And, we talk with Wilma Rodrigues, founder of Saahas Zero Waste (@SaahasZeroWaste), a Bangalore-based social enterprise that works toward a circular economy where all waste is converted into resources.

As countries move up the development spectrum, they tend to produce more trash, and across the emerging world, governments are struggling to keep up. The result is serious environmental and health hazards that often reinforce pre-existing inequalities. On this episode, we’ll hear about efforts to deal with waste in Brazil and India, two countries where rapid urbanization and industrialization has made trash a pressing problem. Zoe Sullivan (@zoesullnews) reports on a favela in Rio de Janeiro that, in the face of official neglect, is taking trash matters into its own hands. And, we talk with Wilma Rodrigues, founder of Saahas Zero Waste (@SaahasZeroWaste), a Bangalore-based social enterprise that works toward a circular economy where all waste is converted into resources.