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Dear friend,
Welcome to Frontier, the monthly newsletter from the Future of Property Rights Program at New America. Last month, Yuliya Panfil spoke about land tenure insecurity at the World Cocoa Foundation’s partnership meeting in Berlin. And as we write, Tim Robustelli and Natalie Chyi are in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to learn about housing instability and displacement throughout the region. Here's what we've been up to:
What We're Doing
"The Right to Be Seen" in Project Syndicate
While the Global North is reeling from myriad privacy outrages and asking for—and securing—the “right to be forgotten,” many around the world are asking a very different question: What about the right to be seen? New America's CEO, Anne-Marie Slaughter and Yuliya Panfil wrote for Project Syndicate, exploring how "invisible" and excluded groups, such as the "unbanked" or informal property owners, can use their digital trails to access basic services and advance their own goals.
2019 World Cocoa Foundation Partnership Meeting
Yuliya Panfil spoke at the World Cocoa Foundation’s partnership meeting, about land tenure insecurity in the cocoa sector. The aim of this annual gathering is for governments, cocoa companies, and farmers to identify and tackle the industry’s largest challenges to sustainability. The sector is increasingly recognizing the far-reaching, and sometimes surprising, impact of land tenure insecurity in the cocoa sector, and the need for strong property rights. Read Yuliya’s remarks, via the Land Portal website, here.
"After the Storm" in The New America Weekly
Last year, the U.S. had the fourth highest rate of disaster displacement in the world, as millions of Americans are losing their homes. Yuliya Panfil wrote for The New America Weekly on where President Trump and Democratic candidates stand on the issue. A hint: it's not great.
New America Fellows Program: Call for Applications
New America's Fellows Program invests in thinkers—journalists, scholars, filmmakers, and public policy analysts—who generate big, bold ideas that have an impact and spark new conversations about the most pressing issues of our day.
Does that sound like you or someone you know? If so, then don't miss the chance to advance your ambitious ideas as a Class of 2021 New America National Fellow! Fellowships will begin in September 2020 and run through August 2021.
Learn more here.
The deadline to apply is Sunday, February 2, 2020 at 11:59 P.M. EST.
What We're Reading
"Why Black Homeowners in Brooklyn Are Being Victimized by Fraud" - The New York Times
Kimiko de Freytas-Tamura examines how African American homeowners in gentrifying Brooklyn are frequent victims of deed theft. Approached by shady businessmen, many are duped, or even coerced, into signing away their deed, giving up their home for a fraction of its market value. We've talked quite a bit about the loss of black agricultural land; this article explores the urban dimension of this multifaceted problem.
Rina Chandran explores the Afghan government's ongoing struggle to provide a basic human necessity: homes. As refugees return to Afghanistan, many have settled in cities with a lot of jobs, but little housing. Many are forced into slums. We wonder: could innovative property rights technologies help accelerate rebuilding efforts in Afghanistan and other war-torn countries?
Thoughts on our work or where we're headed? Feel free to reach out to us at FPR@NewAmerica.org.
Until next month, the FPR Team.
About New America
New America is dedicated to renewing America by continuing the quest to realize our nation's highest ideals. Read the rest of our story, or see what we've been doing recently in our latest Annual Report.
The Future of Property Rights Program at New America focuses on bringing together technologists and policymakers to help solve land and property rights challenges around the world.
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