UNU-WIDER launches a free online training course in tax-benefit microsimulation for Global South countries
In an innovative step toward democratizing access to advanced policy analysis tools, UNU-WIDER releases a comprehensive online training course on tax-benefit microsimulation modelling for policy analysis. The course teaches analysts and researchers to use the SOUTHMOD model family, tailored specifically for the Global South countries represented.
You need to open your eyes, wake up and do it – two poems by Neide Sigúque
by Neide Sigaúque
On 15 May, poet Neide Sigaúque was commissioned to perform two poems on the themes of the WIDER Development Conference, The world at crossroads – securing the future generations, held in Maputo, Mozambique. The poems were performed in Portuguese, the official language of Mozambique. We share the English language translations here. Portuguese versions are printed here.
Securing a future for the next generations – navigating today’s global challenges
by Frederik Matthys
In an era frequently described as ‘unprecedented’, the global landscape often seems daunting. Countries classified as democracies are increasingly outnumbered by those classified as autocracies, interstate conflicts have escalated, and the multifaceted impacts of climate change—from health crises to forced displacement—continue to intensify... How can we still hope to secure a sustainable future for the next generations?
Just transitions and the importance of social protection reforms for ambitious climate action
by Christina Dankmeyer, Katrin Gasior, and Gemma Wright
As greenhouse gases once again climb to record levels, countries are under pressure to make the move to a low-carbon economy. Policies that move in this direction are needed to mitigate against the worst impacts of climate change, but policy choices will have winners and losers.
As we look towards securing a brighter future for coming generations, we must address the complex challenges that threaten sustainable development and global stability. Among these challenges, conflict stands out as a particularly destructive one. In our latest research, we find that a country that falls into conflict is expected to lose 20% of its GDP per capita after 30 years, compared to if it had always been at peace.
What are foresight methods and how can they secure our common futures?
by Aicha Robei
Future tools and foresight thinking are crucial instruments to improve decision-making for a common future. As a Youth Foresight Fellow with UNICEF, I firmly believe that utilizing foresight, a sophisticated approach for anticipation and strategic planning, is essential in tackling and lessening the impacts of climate change, conflict, and inequality.
Uganda’s tax system isn’t bringing in enough revenue, but is targeting small business the answer?
by Maria Jouste
Uganda, with a fiscal deficit of 5.6% in 2023, has increasingly turned to local resources to make up for its revenue shortfall since the World Bank suspended its funding on 8 August 2023 over the country’s anti-homosexuality law. In early April 2024, traders in downtown Kampala protested against what they saw as high taxes and harsh enforcement tactics. Maria Jouste, who has researched Uganda’s tax system, answers four questions.
Original data collection in Global South countries
3–5 June 2024, Helsinki, Finland
A three-day workshop dedicated to data collection in Global South countries for UNU-WIDER researchers is held 3–5 June 2024. This event explores the methodologies, challenges, and ethics of field research in complex environments.
Alexandra Hartmann on Empowerment on the move? An experiment in supporting forcibly displaced people in Greece
4 June 2024, Helsinki, Finland
What is the demand for legal empowerment amongst forcibly displaced people? Does legal information lead to changes in well-being? We study legal empowerment through a randomized trial with 1,707 refugees and asylum seekers in Greece. We use an encouragement design to understand both variation in information-seeking behavior and the impact of information. At baseline, nearly half of the participants were unaware of how to seek help after experiencing violence.
Julien Wolfersberger on Climate immobility in sub-Saharan Africa
12 June 2024, Helsinki, Finland
Migration is often perceived as a key tool to adapt to climate change. However, many households face liquidity constraints that prevent them from migrating when climate shocks occur. This generates a spatial misallocation of labour that impedes economic development. The goal of this paper is to quantify the cost of these misallocations. To do this, we focus on sub-Saharan Africa, a region heavily concerned by the impacts of global warming and that displays large fertility rates.
Book | COVID-19 and the Informal Economy – Impact, Recovery and the Future
edited by Martha Chen, Michael Rogan, and Kunal Sen
A key challenge for the post-COVID global economy is whether the disproportionate impact of the crisis on informal workers, who form the majority of the world’s workforce, will be acknowledged. Or whether harmful and negative stereotypes will persist.
Book | Escaping Poverty Traps and Unlocking Prosperity in the Face of Climate Risk – Lessons from Index-Based Livestock Insurance
by Nathaniel D. Jensen et al.
IN PRODUCTION, SCHEDULED FOR PUBLICATION IN JUNE 2024 | This study outlines the origins and evolution of an international award-winning development intervention, index-based livestock insurance (IBLI), which scaled from a small pilot project in Kenya to a design that underpins drought risk management products and policies across Africa.
Journal Article | Fracking, farmers, and rural electrification in India
by T. Robert Fetter and Faraz Usmani
Journal | Journal of Development Economics
The shale gas revolution in the United States induced an unprecedented commodity boom across northwestern India. Leveraging population-based discontinuities in the contemporaneous roll-out of India’s national rural electrification scheme, we show that access to electricity increased total employment and non-agricultural employment in villages affected by this exogenous economic shock, but had no impact on labour markets elsewhere.
Journal Article | The gendered impact of digital jobs platforms – experimental evidence from Mozambique
by Sam Jones and Kunal Sen
Journal | World Bank Economic Review
OPEN ACCESS ON EARLY VIEW | This study examines the impact of digital labor-market platforms on jobs outcomes using a randomized encouragement design embedded in a longitudinal survey of Mozambican technical-vocational college graduates.
Call for Papers | 2024 Jobs and Development Conference
The conference takes place on October 8 & 9, 2024, in Cairo, Egypt. The two-day format features keynote speeches, a policy panel, special sessions and about 50 paper presentations in parallel sessions. The event focus is on policy-relevant research, applicable to identifying solutions to jobs challenges in low- and middle- income countries. Submission deadline: 13 June 2024.
Request for research proposals | Inequality over the life course
UNU-WIDER requests research proposals for its Inequality over the life course project. We invite original research which speaks to this project's core themes of intergenerational mobility and labour market inequality and which offer strong empirical or theoretical contributions.
Submission deadline: 30 June 2024.
