Polls and focus groups show that American voters prefer to hear about “equal opportunity” instead of “inequality.” Slate’s Matthew Yglesias explains why the former just isn’t good enough: “Whether the focus groups like it or not, an opportunity to climb is no real answer for people at the bottom.”

How the upcoming Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia are serving as a barometer for the international politics of LGBT rights.

Given the substantial differences in what workers around the country pay for housing and other basic living costs, it’s important to note that the impact of an increased minimum wage will vary from place to place.

How a park can transform a city: A look at one of Latin America’s most extraordinary urban green spaces.

Acclaimed Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina reflects on coming out: “There’s no point for me in being a writer and having all these blocked places where I feel I can’t think freely and imagine freely.”

A Pew Research survey on global attitudes about aging finds that a person’s confidence that they will have an adequate standard of living in their old age varies widely—but appears to be related to the rate at which their country is aging and its economic vitality.

Earlier

• Jan. 24: Innovation meets inequality, smart cities, fighting climate change, building an economic justice movement.
• Jan. 17: Connecting restaurant patrons and restaurant workers, understanding net neutrality, filling in gaps on Wikipedia.
• Jan. 10: Arts in Africa, online harassment, the geography of poverty.