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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4094Total
4094Open
0Solved
9Humans
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Legislatures in various democracies have seen government shutdowns or near-shutdowns simply because opposing parties can't agree on routine budget matters. This turns basic governance into a repeated crisis rather than a stable process.
society-governance
global-unspecified
basic
political
polarization
making
governing
functions
like
passing
budgets
increasingly
philosophy-ethics
whether
have
public
haven
african
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Complicated issues like constitutional changes or international agreements are occasionally put to a simple yes or no vote, even though the details matter enormously and most voters can't research them fully in advance. This risks major decisions being made on incomplete understanding.
society-governance
global-unspecified
referendums
sometimes
bypass
careful
deliberation
deeply
complex
policy
questions
complicated
decisions
evidence
local
communities
philosophy-ethics
whether
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some leaders who were initially bound by term limits have successfully changed laws or constitutions to stay in power far longer than originally intended. This weakens one of democracy's basic safeguards against entrenched rule.
society-governance
global-unspecified
leaders
term
limits
power
political
inconsistently
applied
sometimes
removed
once
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
haven
determine
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Even where donation limits exist, wealthy donors can often find legal workarounds through political action groups or indirect spending. This keeps outsized influence in the hands of a few, regardless of formal campaign finance rules.
society-governance
global-unspecified
wealthy
political
influence
there
reliable
way
stop
individuals
buying
disproportionate
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
determine
haven
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some voting systems use outdated machines or paper processes vulnerable to error or tampering, and upgrading them is often slow due to cost and political disagreement. This leaves elections more vulnerable than they need to be.
society-governance
global-unspecified
voting
election
security
depends
heavily
aging
infrastructure
parts
world
vulnerable
whether
systems
philosophy-ethics
technology-computing
mathematics-logic
african
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Fewer people are voting even in countries with a long history of democratic participation, suggesting something deeper than simple apathy is at play. Understanding and reversing this trend remains an open challenge for democratic governance.
society-governance
global-unspecified
voter
turnout
keeps
declining
established
democracies
despite
decades
civic
education
whether
philosophy-ethics
democratic
climate-environment
resolved
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Politicians in charge of drawing district boundaries can shape them to protect their own party's power rather than reflect the actual population. This practice, often called gerrymandering, distorts the link between votes and representation.
local-regional
global-unspecified
party
redrawing
electoral
districts
places
unfairly
favor
political
politicians
charge
society-governance
philosophy-ethics
whether
haven
resolved
representation
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
National governments sometimes pass laws requiring local services without providing the money to pay for them, leaving local governments to either cut corners or raise taxes. This mismatch between responsibility and resources undermines local governance everywhere it happens.
society-governance
global-unspecified
governments
local
national
regions
lack
funding
deliver
responsibilities
handed
down
economics-resources
african
recovery
africa
systems
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Citizens are often legally entitled to request government records, but agencies can slow-walk or deny these requests with few real consequences. This makes transparency laws look stronger on paper than they are in practice.
society-governance
global-unspecified
laws
but
practice
freedom
information
exist
countries
routinely
ignored
delayed
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
determine
resolved
african
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
When the people appointing or removing judges are the same people those judges might need to rule against, fair trials involving powerful officials become far less likely. This weakens the separation of powers meant to keep governments in check.
society-governance
global-unspecified
judges
judicial
independence
remains
fragile
countries
removed
political
leaders
people
philosophy-ethics
whether
haven
determine
resolved
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Where spending limits are weak or unenforced, a small number of wealthy donors can have outsized influence over who gets elected and what they prioritize once in office. This tilts democracy toward those with money over those with votes.
society-governance
global-unspecified
wealthy
donors
political
campaign
financing
rules
vary
widely
dominate
elections
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
haven
determine
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Public procurement, from building roads to buying medical supplies, remains one of the most common channels for corruption worldwide. Stronger, harder-to-manipulate bidding systems remain unevenly adopted.
society-governance
global-unspecified
government
contracts
frequently
awarded
processes
vulnerable
bribery
favoritism
public
procurement
systems
corruption
resilient
whether
philosophy-ethics
technology-computing
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
In many countries, there's little requirement to disclose which companies or interest groups pushed for specific changes to legislation. This makes it hard for citizens to know whose interests their laws actually serve.
society-governance
global-unspecified
laws
lobbying
powerful
industries
shape
public
ever
knowing
influenced
countries
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
determine
know
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
People who report corruption or abuse of power frequently lose their jobs, face legal retaliation, or worse, while the officials they exposed face little consequence. This discourages future whistleblowers from coming forward at all.
society-governance
global-unspecified
face
whistleblowers
expose
government
wrongdoing
often
punishment
wrongdoers
themselves
people
philosophy-ethics
whether
haven
climate-environment
african
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Anti-corruption agencies are sometimes created by the same officials they're meant to hold accountable, limiting how far they can actually investigate. Genuine independence for these watchdogs remains rare rather than standard.
society-governance
global-unspecified
investigate
governments
lack
independent
body
real
power
own
corruption
anti-corruption
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
resolved
determine
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The UN handles war and peace, the WTO handles trade, and the WHO handles pandemics, but none of them were built with today's cross-cutting crises in mind. This leaves gaps where no institution has a clear mandate at all.
health-biology
global-unspecified
built
war
were
pandemics
handles
institutions
world
not
designed
society-governance
public
governance
designing
creating
building
democratic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
When a country can't repay its debts, negotiations with lenders happen case by case with no consistent rules, often favoring lenders over the country's ability to recover. This can trap nations in cycles of debt renegotiation that stall development for years.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
lenders
debt
nations
sovereign
disputes
between
poor
have
fair
standardized
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
don
haven
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some UN peacekeeping operations have run for so long that local governments and populations start questioning whether they're actually achieving anything anymore. Without clear exit criteria, missions risk becoming permanent without ever solving the underlying conflict.
society-governance
global-unspecified
peacekeeping
missions
clear
often
kept
place
decades
plan
end
some
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
know
have
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
A country can be found in violation of international law and simply ignore the ruling with little real consequence, especially if it holds significant economic or military power. This selectively weakens the rule of law based on who is being judged.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
international
courts
have
reliable
way
enforce
own
rulings
against
powerful
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
determine
don
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Talks over agricultural subsidies and intellectual property rights have dragged on for over twenty years without resolution in some cases, because neither side is willing to compromise. This gridlock pushes countries toward smaller side deals that fragment the global trading system further.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
over
trade
negotiations
between
rich
poor
nations
routinely
stall
decades
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
society-governance
have
