A majority of Indian households have access to mobile phones despite being unable to access other infrastructure. On a more systemic level, economists have pointed out that commercial and technical accessibility and the acceptance of consumers to the invention are the primary factors that drive its spread. Both are evidently a problem in India. For businesses, it makes sense for the company to offer mobile phones that come in a range of price ranges that are quality as the network infrastructure is built. The demand for this technology is guaranteed. However, they aren't looking to sell low-cost toilets to those in need since the...

Whatever your location, it is difficult to measure inequality because of the rate and degree of change across different areas in the metropolis. Yes, some wealthy areas and neighborhoods are not: households with low and high incomes divide themselves into cities according to preferences (for local public goods as well as the composition of their neighborhoods) and their needs (according to the location of their jobs, budget and prices for housing). However, not every neighborhood is populated by households who earn the same amount. The distribution of income across spaces is typically "imperfect," meaning that wealthy and low-income families may...

In Ecuador, the BDH can be described as a money payment provided to families who are extremely poor every month, so the children attend school regularly and medical clinics. Since 2003, every family that is a beneficiary has been receiving $15 each month, regardless of size (Ecuador utilizes its version of the US dollar). The amount increased to US$30 by 2007, then US$35 in 2009, and then US$50 in 2013. In contrast to similar programs elsewhere in Latin American countries, including Mexico's Prospera and Brazil's Bolsa Familia, where supervision of student attendance and compliance with nutrition is very rigorous, In Ecuador, the conditionality...

A deal to tackle refugees and migrants across the globe that the UN General Assembly adopted adopted in September was widely hailed by the United Nations as nothing short of a miraculous event. It is, however, threatened sometimes by today's shifting and ever-changing political environment. In the year, UN members are conducting discussions on the elements of international cooperation as well as governance of migration as part of the creation of the Global Compact for Secure, Regular, and Orderly Migration. Between May 22 and June 23, the delegates will be focusing their attention on the current state of information and best practices...

The Conversation has a new series called Class in Australia to explore, debate, and highlight its various manifestations. In this article, Camilla Nelson looks at how movies, television, popular culture, and the media shape the perceptions of a threatening class. You only need to switch on the television at primetime to see who the "villains" are: asylum seekers who "throw children overboard", Aboriginal people who live in remote communities, petrol sniffers, Lebanese crime gangs and bikies, intergenerational welfare recipients and the long-term unemployed. The divide between classes has changed. No one is "working class" in the old sense anymore - you're not. It's personal. Goodbye, Jolly Swagman....