When I asked the women I met in rural Bangladesh how many owned phones, most did. But when I probed on what they used them for, the answer was calling and photos.

Last Friday was Robert B. Zoellick's last day as president of the World Bank Group. While he may leave many legacies behind, perhaps one that stands out is embodied in his commencement address for RAND Graduate School: "Getting Stuff Done."

Drug trafficking is nothing new. But with the current levels of violence we are seeing, its effects on society and economic activity are staggering.

Haven't similar experiences in the debt crises of the 1980's, Russia in 1998, and Argentina in 2001 taught us that waiting too long to restructure in situations of clear insolvency can be more costly in the end?

Watch this video about abuses against the indigenous peoples of Ethiopia's Lower Omo Valley (Nairobi) – The Ethiopian government is forcibly d...

For millions of poor, unskilled workers, textile manufacturing is a gateway to start getting out of poverty.

Interestingly, this phenomenon -- mobility out of poverty accompanied by higher income concentrations and persistent inequality -- is evident in all regions of the world, with the exception of one: Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)

As we and others have argued in the past, the misallocation and mismanagement of natural resource wealth are often associated with weak governance at the domestic level.

Take the case of the upsurge of export barriers in response to rising world prices of food staples. While a particular country might put in place such a barrier to keep food at home and prices low, the effects in importing countries are negative.

The World Bank should shift its ample resources -- its lending, guarantees, technical assistance and policy advice -- from the top-down projects of the past to the bottom-up solutions of the future.

Now the dust has settled, let's celebrate the race for the World Bank presidency. We had the highest quality field in history and a winner who just might manage to refocus the institution on the dominant challenge of development today: inequality.

As the World Bank's new president, Jim Yong Kim has the opportunity to lead the Bank into a new era by using its voice and resources to bridge the false divide between human rights and development.

How has the unique economic history of different countries shaped them, what is it like to do business there now because of that legacy, and what lessons can they learn from other countries with a similar background?

Debates over inequality -- and the role governments should play -- have polarized political and economic debates. How much should inequality matter or weigh in policy making?

This is a moment for Americans to recognize what Dr. Kim's work teaches us -- economic health depends upon healthy people and healthy communities.