Verifying love in the lab: lessons from a financial privacy study
If someone asked you to prove that the person sitting next to you is your spouse, what would you show? A marriage certificate? A shared last name? In many parts…
Thumbs up or down: Regulating social media is a double-edged sword
Governments across the world are grappling with a difficult dilemma: how to regulate social media without undermining freedom of expression. Social media companies are also struggling with the same dilemma…
A new operating system for philanthropy. Reflections from the Global Philanthropy Forum 2026
This year’s Global Philanthropy Forum concluded on the 20th of March, but the conversations I’ve had there have made space, lived in my head, and will continue to spark new…
When germs start adapting: Reflections from the 2026 Antimicrobial Resistance Summit in Sydney, Australia
If you are not familiar with the term Antimicrobial Resistance (or AMR, for short), you should be – but that is not on you as I demonstrate below. You should…
Finding the answers with each other. Discovering solutions at the innovation marketplace at IMNHC 2026
There’s a joke that keeps showing on my feed. It centers around this idea that if an average person actually went back in time, they would be very incapable of…
What will it take to make HIV programs and health systems in Africa resilient to disruption from the Global North?
A year after the United States froze funding to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and withdrew from the World Health Organization and other UN agencies, African health…
At risk and still overlooked: thinking about how we design interventions for women
‘I took a loan to rent out a piece of land where I could farm and sell the produce. The farm flooded with all my crops. I had already invested…
When times wobble, double down on getting the basics right: three unglamorous ideas for our work
This article is part of Busara’s Tafakari 2026 yearbook. You can download the whole yearbook here. During the 2022 FTX Crypto Cup, the chess world accused Hans Niemann of cheating. In…
The hidden burden of reform: Why systems, not teachers, need to carry the weight
Education research shapes how governments, donors, and school systems decide which programs to invest in and which interventions are likely to improve learning outcomes. These interventions shape approaches used by…
Let’s not waste it: how learning about food waste can help us deal with uncertainty.
This article is part of Busara’s Tafakari 2026 yearbook. You can download the whole yearbook here. Picture a bustling market on a warm afternoon. Stalls full of tomatoes, greens, fruits, and…