Lauren Smyth is a WORLD contributor specializing in economics reporting and a 2025 graduate of the World Journalism Institute. She is also the author of five novels for young adults.
WORLD’s Lauren Smyth examines terminal lucidity and what researchers hope it may reveal about the brain and consciousness
Fourth-year university students fail basic vocabulary quizzes, turn in blank exams, and still expect to pass. WORLD’s Lauren Smyth reports on students advancing through school without learning to read—and on adults trying to recover what they missed.
At one Michigan fire station, the only full-time paramedic will be on duty for most of the next 200 hours. WORLD’s Lauren Smyth reports on why paramedic positions go unfilled.
A railway beneath Bath, England, sat closed and largely forgotten for decades. WORLD’s Lauren Smyth tells how a local campaign reopened its tunnels for cyclists and runners.
AI-powered license plate readers can solve crimes, but they also create searchable records of ordinary drivers’ movements. WORLD’s Lauren Smyth reports on the fight over the data.
As classroom phone bans spread nationwide, new research suggests taking devices away may not break the habits and anxieties students carry with them. WORLD’s Lauren Smyth reports.
Official counts put England's rough sleeping population at just a few thousand, but shelter workers in Bath say the real number of homeless people is far higher — hidden in cars, on couches, and in abusive relationships. WORLD's Lauren Smyth reports.
Wages have technically outpaced prices, but financial analyst David Bahnsen says that statistic hides a messier reality for young people as high housing costs, thin job experience and more all play a part. WORLD's Lauren Smyth talks with Bahnsen about what the data leaves out, and why he still sees more good news than bad.
American democratic socialists claim Scandinavian inspiration, but Sweden’s model depends on capitalism and civic trust. WORLD’s Lauren Smyth reports.
A growing number of car owners owe more than their vehicles are worth, creating a trade-in trap that makes the next purchase even harder to afford. WORLD’s Lauren Smyth reports.
