VoxDevLit: “Training Entrepreneurs: Issue 4”
February 27, 2026
Originally shared in our February 2026 Top of Mind Newsletter. This issue of VoxDevLit’s literature review, Training Entrepreneurs, examines the effectiveness of over $1 billion in annual global spending on entrepreneurship training. While policymakers often fund these programs to drive broad job growth, the evidence suggests that the impact is much more personal. For youth and microenterprises, training typically increases an individual’s earnings and self-employment prospects, but it rarely creates immediate “new” jobs for others. Instead,…
Read more“From skills to jobs: Building clearer pathways to good work: A conversation with Rahm Emanuel”
Originally shared in our February 2026 Top of Mind Newsletter. “[The trades] are a ticket to the American dream, and a lot of Americans are locked out of it… It shouldn’t just be your children and my children that have expectations. Every child should have expectations, and we need to invest in those expectations and the support to achieve them.” — Rahm Emanuel In a recent Brookings Institute event, former Chicago Mayor and prior Ambassador…
Read moreAdam Grant’s #1 Phrase to Unlock Potential | Big Think
January 29, 2026
Originally shared in our January 2026 Top of Mind Newsletter. How can we spark opportunities for action in our teams? As we’ve discussed, Growth & Development Opportunities are a cornerstone of job quality, yet many organizational mentorship efforts fall flat. In this video, organizational psychologist Adam Grant shares a simple, research-backed tool to bridge this gap. He introduces a “19-word phrase” that drastically increases a person’s openness to constructive feedback. By shifting the conversation from…
Read more2025 American Job Quality Study | Jobs for the Future
Originally shared in our January 2026 Top of Mind Newsletter. A landmark report from Gallup and Jobs for the Future (JFF) identifies five dimensions of job quality: Financial Well-Being, Culture & Safety, Growth, Agency, and Autonomy. With 60% of the U.S. workforce lacking a “quality” job, the study highlights critical opportunities for action: Employers can boost satisfaction through mentorship and training. Policymakers can strengthen local economies by closing structural gaps. Advocates can use data to expand worker…
Read more“Mapping Creativity: The Role of the Default Mode Network”
December 17, 2025
Originally shared in our December 2025 Top of Mind Newsletter. Is “doing nothing” actually a form of high-performance computing? A groundbreaking 2025 study University of Utah Health neurosurgeon Ben Shofty, MD, PhD, suggests yes. For years, neuroscientists have observed that the network of brain regions known as the “Default Mode Network” (DMN) lights up when we daydream or zone out. But until now, its purpose was debated. Using direct neural mapping, Shofty and team have now begun to understand that the DMN…
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