--- description: Holding gains in the developing world, why salt warnings are nice but won't work, and more. title: How the Developing World Is Improving image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Innovation](/tag/innovation/) ## Innovation Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How the Developing World Is Improving by [The Aspen Institute](/author/the-aspen-institute/) ## The Aspen Institute Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 7, 2015 5:01 PM CUT by [The Aspen Institute](/author/the-aspen-institute/) ## The Aspen Institute Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Dec 7, 2015 5:01 PM CUT **1\.** [**Things are actually improving in the developing world.**](http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/future-development/posts/2015/12/03-great-surge-development-progress-threats-radelet "undefined") By Steve Radelet at the Brookings Institution **2\.** [**New York City is warning consumers about sodium. Too bad it won’t work.**](http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/12/sodium-warnings-are-a-nice-if-useless-idea.html "undefined") By Melissa Dahl in the Science of Us **3\.** [**Since gun control seems politically impossible, let’s fix mental health care in the U.S.**](http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2015/12/4/9845434/tim-murphy-mental-health-bill-mass-shootings "undefined") By Michelle Hackman in Vox **4\.** [**A missing ingredient in the terrorism fight? Police reform.**](http://carnegie-mec.org/publications/?fa=62195 "undefined") By Yezid Sayigh at the Carnegie Middle East Center **5\.** [**Can stem cell therapies stave off old age?**](https://aeon.co/essays/will-stem-cell-grafts-offer-chicken-soup-for-the-ageing-brain "undefined") By Linda Marsa in Aeon  [_The Aspen Institute_](http://www.aspeninstitute.org/ "undefined") _is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4138326/developing-world-improving/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4138326/developing-world-improving/"},"headline":"How the Developing World Is Improving","datePublished":"2015-12-07T17:01:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:00:48.650Z","description":"These are today's best ideas","url":"https://time.com/4138326/developing-world-improving/","keywords":["Innovation","Mental Health","Terrorism","Stem Cells","democracy","health","Guns"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"The Aspen Institute","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/the-aspen-institute/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/innovation/","name":"Innovation"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4138326/developing-world-improving/","name":"How the Developing World Is Improving"}}]}] ```