Hard work, resilience and grit lead to success, right? This narrative pervades the way we think, says economist Darrick Hamilton, but the truth is that our chances at economic security have less to do with what we do and more to do with the wealth position we're born into. Enter "baby bonds": trust accounts of up to $60,000 for every newborn, ca...

The debate over foreign aid often pits those who mistrust "charity" against those who mistrust reliance on the markets. Jacqueline Novogratz proposes a middle way she calls patient capital, with promising examples of entrepreneurial innovation driving social change.

More than a billion people worldwide, mostly children, do not have a legal identity. In many countries, this means they can't get access to vital services like health care and education, says legal identity expert Kristen Wenz. She discusses why this problem is one of the greatest human rights violations of our time -- and shares five strategies...

Efosa Ojomo researches and writes about how innovation transforms organizations and creates inclusive prosperity for many.

Danielle Wood leads the Space Enabled research group at the MIT Media Lab, where she works to tear down the barriers that limit the benefits of space exploration to only the few, the rich or the elite. She identifies six technologies developed for space exploration that can contribute to sustainable development across the world -- from observati...

Lakshmi Pratury is the host of The INK Conference and was the co-host of TEDIndia 2009.

Americanization and globalization have basically been the same thing for the last several generations. But the US's view of the world -- and the world's view of the US -- is changing. In a fast-paced tour of the current state of international politics, Ian Bremmer discusses the challenges of a world where no single country or alliance can meet t...

Speaking as both an astronomer and "a concerned member of the human race," Sir Martin Rees examines our planet and its future from a cosmic perspective. He urges action to prevent dark consequences from our scientific and technological development.

What can a young woman with an idea, an Internet connection and a bit of creativity achieve? That's all Siyanda Mohutsiwa needed to unite young African voices in a new way. Hear how Mohutsiwa and other young people across the continent are using social media to overcome borders and circumstance, accessing something they have long had to violentl...

Talking at the US State Department this summer, Hans Rosling uses his fascinating data-bubble software to burst myths about the developing world. Look for new analysis on China and the post-bailout world, mixed with classic data shows.

In a rich conversation full of practical insights, former Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard and former Finance Minister of Nigeria Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala reflect on their experiences as women leaders in positions of global power -- and share six standout lessons on what it takes to lead and build solidarity in the face of gender bias and st...

Nancy Lublin, cofounder and former CEO of Crisis Text Line, uses technology and data to save lives.

Darren Walker is a leader in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors.

Alleviating poverty is more guesswork than science, and lack of data on aid's impact raises questions about how to provide it. But Clark Medal-winner Esther Duflo says it's possible to know which development efforts help and which hurt -- by testing solutions with randomized trials.

Kristalina Georgieva has helped shape the agenda of the European Union.

Traditional thinking on corruption goes like this: if you put good laws in place and enforce them well, then economic development increases and corruption falls. In reality, we have the equation backwards, says innovation researcher Efosa Ojomo. In this compelling talk, he offers new thinking on how we could potentially eliminate corruption worl...

Tania Douglas imagined how biomedical engineering could help address some of Africa's health challenges.

Marco Alverà is an Italian/American businessman and CEO of Snam, Europe’s largest natural gas utility.

A co-developer of the planetary boundaries framework, Johan Rockström works to understand Earth’s resilience.

The president of the United States from 1977 to 1981, Jimmy Carter has used his post-presidency years to work for peace, teach, write and engage in global activism.

We are what we spend. Social entrepreneur Andrew Youn sees this as an opportunity. His nonprofit, One Acre Fund, helps small farmers lift themselves out of poverty, with incredible results -- and it's grown three-fold in size since receiving investment from The Audacious Project. With cool candor, he imagines what could happen if we put just one...

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the former finance minister of Nigeria, sums up four days of intense discussion on aid versus trade on the closing day of TEDGlobal 2007, and shares a personal story explaining her own commitment to this cause.

To combat climate change, Varun Sivaram seeks to scale up clean energy technologies and cultivate innovation ecosystems spanning industry, academia and government.

Nandan Nilekani, the visionary co-founder of outsourcing pioneer Infosys, explains four brands of ideas that will determine whether India can continue its recent breakneck progress.

Today, we relate the human microbiome to what it can tell us about our own current health. In this fascinating talk, microbiologist Alisa Kazarina describes how cutting edge research at the crossroads of archaeology and microbiology can trace humanity's physical development while providing insight on how to treat contemporary diseases.

Eduardo Briceño is a learner, leader, speaker and writer devoted to enabling a more learning-oriented world.

Stefan Wolff studies contemporary conflicts, focusing on the prevention and settlement of ethnic conflicts and in postconflict reconstruction in deeply divided and war-torn societies.

Half of the world's poorest people have something in common: they're small farmers. In this eye-opening talk, social entrepreneur Andrew Youn shows how his group, One Acre Fund, is helping these farmers lift themselves out of poverty by delivering to them life-sustaining farm services that are already in use all over the world. Enter this talk b...

When it comes to setting grand worldwide goals for development, it’s easy to imagine global leaders in suits, wheeling and dealing in the backrooms of a UN summit, without actually accomplishing much. But Jamie Drummond -- the executive director of ONE, which fights poverty and disease by supporting smart policies -- says that when world lea...

Kevin Njabo is coordinating the development of UCLA's newly established Congo Basin Institute (CBI) in Yaoundé, Cameroon.