Currently there are approximately 4 million tobacco related deaths annually. If present trends continue, by the year 2030 the number of deaths will soar to about 10 million annual deaths, with 7 million in low-income countries. However, government action to establish various tobacco control...

Global eradication of extreme poverty requires absolute convergence of poverty rates worldwide towards zero. Using data for more than a hundred developing countries over 35 years, we conclude that such goal is likely to remain elusive. Rather than absolute convergence, we find club convergence:...