Repository of problems worth solving
World Solve is a public institutional repository for identifying real unresolved problems across science, society, health, governance, economics, and local systems. Each entry is intended to be citable, inspectable, and actionable.
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4194Total
4194Open
0Solved
9Humans
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The immune system destroys insulin-producing cells for reasons we don't fully understand, forcing patients into decades of careful daily management. A real cure would end this instead of just controlling it.
health-biology
global-unspecified
don
cure
management
have
type
diabetes
only
lifelong
insulin
immune
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
way
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
With finite budgets and staff, agencies inevitably choose which laws to prioritize enforcing, but this decision-making is often informal and opaque rather than publicly explained. This can lead to uneven, seemingly arbitrary enforcement.
society-governance
global-unspecified
laws
governments
lack
formal
transparent
process
deciding
actually
enforce
given
social-civic-problems
resources
whether
philosophy-ethics
african
public
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
When a regulator fails to catch a problem, like an unsafe product or a financial scandal, there's often no clear path for citizens to hold the regulator itself accountable for that failure. This leaves oversight bodies with limited pressure to actually improve.
society-governance
global-unspecified
there
citizens
hold
accountable
reliable
process
governance
systems
regulators
regulatory
public
philosophy-ethics
whether
oversight
migration
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Promises made to public workers decades ago about retirement benefits sometimes weren't matched with enough funding set aside to actually cover them. This leaves future governments facing financial strain that current officials often avoid addressing.
society-governance
global-unspecified
public
future
government
pension
systems
employees
countries
underfunded
relative
obligations
real
time
philosophy-ethics
whether
technology-computing
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Journalists investigating government wrongdoing in many countries face harassment, legal threats, or violence with limited international protection or recourse. Stronger, coordinated protections remain largely aspirational rather than actively enforced.
society-governance
global-unspecified
international
journalists
there
consistent
mechanism
protecting
report
corruption
own
governments
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
way
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some former officials effectively become immune to prosecution once they leave power, either through legal loopholes or political reluctance to pursue former leaders. This can weaken accountability for abuses of power at the very top.
society-governance
global-unspecified
former
legal
leaders
countries
lack
clear
process
holding
accountable
actions
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
determine
have
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Software that predicts where crime might occur or who might commit it is being adopted by police departments with little independent oversight of its accuracy or fairness. This leaves significant power in tools that haven't been thoroughly vetted for bias.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
tools
there
widely
accepted
framework
governments
regulate
own
predictive
policing
society-governance
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
haven
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
If a significant cyberattack disabled core government systems, many countries lack a clearly rehearsed plan for maintaining basic governance functions during the recovery period. This leaves a critical vulnerability largely unaddressed until it's actually tested.
society-governance
global-unspecified
governance
systems
lack
plan
cyberattack
clear
govern
aftermath
major
public
technology-computing
whether
during
climate-environment
philosophy-ethics
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
When judges' careers, safety, or institutional funding depend on staying in the government's good graces, their ability to rule impartially against powerful officials can be compromised. Protecting judicial independence from this kind of pressure remains an ongoing struggle.
society-governance
global-unspecified
pressure
ability
rule
against
government
constitutional
courts
some
countries
face
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
local
improving
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Government budgets are often published as static yearly documents rather than something citizens can track as spending actually happens. Real-time transparency into public spending remains rare rather than standard.
society-governance
global-unspecified
citizens
actually
there
consistent
way
know
taxes
being
spent
real
public
philosophy-ethics
whether
time
haven
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Agencies tasked with overseeing complex fields like AI or cybersecurity sometimes have few employees who deeply understand the technology they're regulating. This expertise gap can lead to rules that are either too vague or poorly targeted.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
cybersecurity
agencies
technology
expertise
government
dealing
regulation
often
lack
staff
real
philosophy-ethics
whether
society-governance
haven
african
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Incumbent politicians in many countries can use public funds, staff, or platforms to boost their own re-election chances, giving them an unfair advantage over challengers. Clear, enforced separation between state resources and campaigning remains inconsistent.
society-governance
global-unspecified
state
resources
own
there
reliable
system
prevent
government
leaders
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
determine
have
haven
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
As AI-generated images, videos, and text become easier to produce, election laws in most places haven't caught up with rules for disclosure or restriction. This leaves a rapidly growing campaign tactic largely unregulated.
society-governance
global-unspecified
ai-generated
countries
have
clear
legal
framework
content
treated
political
campaigns
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
way
determine
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
As some regions become less livable due to heat, drought, or flooding, governments often lack a clear, proactive plan for how internal migration should be managed. This leaves affected communities dealing with sudden, poorly supported relocation.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
migration
government
responses
climate
own
borders
remain
largely
unplanned
reactive
under
society-governance
pressure
african
relocation
systems
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Rules about what political ads can say, who can run them, and how they must be disclosed vary enormously between countries and platforms. This inconsistency makes coordinated efforts to protect election integrity much harder.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
political
platforms
there
consistent
approach
regulating
advertising
social
media
society-governance
whether
philosophy-ethics
countries
african
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Elected officials in some systems aren't required to publicly disclose investments or business ties that could influence their votes on related legislation. This leaves potential conflicts of interest largely invisible to voters.
society-governance
global-unspecified
parliaments
legislatures
lack
clear
rules
requiring
disclosure
lawmakers
financial
interests
philosophy-ethics
whether
have
resolved
public
don
open
United States, North America
Public spending or contract data is sometimes released in formats so disorganized or incomplete that meaningful analysis by journalists or citizens becomes impractical. True transparency requires usable data, not just published data.
society-governance
north-america
united-states
data
transparency
public
government
portals
countries
publish
technically
but
nearly
global-unspecified
systems
technology-computing
whether
philosophy-ethics
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Conflict of interest rules exist in many places but are inconsistently enforced, letting officials benefit financially from decisions they themselves make. Stronger, consistently enforced rules remain missing in a large share of governments worldwide.
society-governance
global-unspecified
officials
there
reliable
way
prevent
government
public
office
personal
financial
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
have
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Population shifts toward cities or away from certain regions can leave old district boundaries badly mismatched with current populations, distorting how fairly votes translate into representation. Regularly updating these boundaries fairly remains politically contentious.
local-regional
global-unspecified
political
districts
drawn
decades
ago
sometimes
longer
reflect
people
actually
philosophy-ethics
whether
representation
have
determine
society-governance
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Beyond voting for representatives, most citizens have no formal path to propose legislation themselves, leaving lawmaking almost entirely in the hands of elected officials and their staff. Direct citizen lawmaking tools remain underdeveloped in most democracies.
society-governance
global-unspecified
formal
citizens
propose
governments
lack
process
new
laws
directly
lawmaking
whether
philosophy-ethics
technology-computing
african
public
have
