Showing 1 - 10 of 15
Rethinking global health finance
Oped, Walter O Ochieng & Tom Achoki, Published on 06/02/2026
» For the past half-century, the economics of global health were straightforward. Under the so-called "grant-based" approach, rich countries donate to poor countries, which use the funds to meet their populations' health needs. Success was measured by services provided or lives saved, rather than by balance sheets. While this model was far from perfect, the latest approach replacing it -- focused on using tools like guarantees and blended finance to crowd in private capital -- threatens to produce even worse outcomes.
Curb S112 abuse
Oped, Postbag, Published on 05/09/2025
» Re: "Thaksin acquittal sparks debate", (BP, Aug 31). To prevent abuse of our lese majeste law, S112, we should follow law Professor Olarn Thinbangtieo of Burapha University's suggestion that all lese majeste complaints be vetted by a body of prosecutors, judges, academics, and civil society representatives, operating like a prosecutor's screening panel but with broader representation, before proceeding to court.
More plastic waste
Oped, Postbag, Published on 17/04/2025
» Re: "City gets set for holiday festivities" & "New plan to promote food waste sorting", (BP, April 11).
Should ChatGPT write your CV?
News, Sarah Green Carmichael, Published on 10/07/2024
» Artificial intelligence is already making it easier for workers to put together a job application. The jury's still out on whether it's also making it easier for them to get the job.
Time to prepare for 'Disease X'
Oped, Tom Achoki, Lawrence Were & Ahmed Ogwell, Published on 04/06/2024
» On Dec 12, 2019, a group of patients in Wuhan, China, started showing symptoms of an atypical pneumonia-like illness that did not respond well to standard treatments. Ninety days later, with more than 118,000 cases reported in 114 countries and 4,291 deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 a pandemic.
Curbing plastic pollution needs local remedies
Oped, Mirei Endara de Heras, Published on 22/02/2024
» As the United Nations enters the final stretch of negotiations for a new treaty to end plastic pollution, governments must work to ensure that the agreement not only reduces plastic production, but also strengthens local initiatives to remove and recycle existing plastic waste.
Teaching firms about public health
Oped, Tom Achoki, Published on 21/02/2024
» Corporations are increasingly moving into the public health domain. Companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft are being "pulled" by market opportunities for non-traditional actors to "disrupt" health care. Others are being "pushed" by the imperative -- highlighted by events like the Covid-19 pandemic -- to act as responsible community stakeholders, such as by helping to address health inequities.
Hollywood writers' AI fight is everyone's fight
Oped, Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson & Austin Lentsch, Published on 05/08/2023
» Artificial intelligence is big business's new flavour of the month. Companies are rushing to showcase how they will be using new generative AI models, and the media is full of stories about the technology's transformative potential. There is no denying that it could significantly increase productivity. But who stands to benefit? The ongoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike may offer an answer.
How to fix the platform economy in digital era
Oped, Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson, Published on 25/03/2023
» Meta (Facebook), Alphabet (Google), Microsoft, Twitter, and a few other tech companies have come to dominate what we see and hear on the internet, shaping hundreds of millions of people's perceptions of the world.
What's wrong with ChatGPT's rollout?
News, Daron Acemoglu & Simon Johnson, Published on 13/02/2023
» Microsoft is reportedly delighted with OpenAI's ChatGPT, a natural-language artificial-intelligence programme capable of generating text that reads as if a human wrote it. Taking advantage of easy access to finance over the past decade, companies and venture-capital funds invested billions in an AI arms race, resulting in a technology that can now be used to replace humans across a wider range of tasks. This could be a disaster not only for workers, but also for consumers and even investors.