Best Things First

The other lower-tech solution to teaching at the right level is simply to have schools shuffle classes for one hour each day so that all students go to the class that is at their actual level.

The so-called Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were created just by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and a close circle of aides with little public deliberation or government participation. Annan and his staff worked behind closed doors with technocrats at the International Monetary Fund, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development,

Not discussing priorities doesn’t make prioritization go away.

the benefits of climate policies will only surpass their costs after 2080.

Antenatal corticosteroids for preterm labor

Across all low- and lower-middle-income countries, these deaths amount to a loss of almost half a trillion dollars each year or 6% of their GDPs.

Increase coverage of Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care to 90% Increase unmet need for Family Planning services to 90%

The third investment would be smaller and funneled toward innovation that can make those first two uses more effective. This could include, for instance, ensuring quicker and cheaper DNA sequencing of plants. Fourth, spending should go to the private sector toward improving food options for consumers in developing countries.

The 12 chapters that follow are devoted to explaining the research underpinning the 12 solutions.