Future Development Reads: Defending democracy, compensating the losers of globalization, and guiding development policy

We’ve started a new feature this year to share pieces that we found to be the most interesting reading. Each Friday, the editor of the week will select articles, op-eds, and other readings that he found particularly insightful. 

1. George Soros warns that democracy needs defending and cannot be taken for granted. A useful reminder that policies do not always further the common good.
2. Encouraging news that solar could beat coal to be the cheapest power on earth and is already competitive in many places.
3. Former World Bank chief economists, Basu, Bourguignon, Lin, and Stiglitz propose 8 broad principles to guide development policy
4. For those interested in productivity growth, this paper suggests the rate of increase in effort in R&D is enough to offset the declining productivity of research.  Examples from a range of disaggregated sectors are provided.
5. A towering figure in economics, Tony Atkinson, passed away at the start of the year. Thomas Piketty reviews his contributions to the field.
6. A round-up of economists views on how to compensate the losers of globalization.