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September 2024

News | UNU-WIDER contributes to global efforts towards reforming the international financial architecture

11 September 2024

UNU-WIDER is implementing a new project seeking to contribute to global efforts toward reforming the international financial architecture (IFA). This project will lead UNU-WIDER to organize and participate in a range of activities in 2024 and 2025, bringing together academics, policymakers, and the private sector to discuss how to foster a fairer, more equitable global financial system that supports the economic needs and ambitions of Global South countries.

Blogs

The economic ripples of rising government debt

by Abishek Kumar, Sushanta Mallick, and Abena Larbi-Odam

In recent years, governments worldwide witnessed a surge in debt levels. According to the Institute of International Finance, global debt reached a staggering USD 315 trillion in early 2024, with sizable increases in emerging market countries. This increase in borrowing, at least by governments, was partly driven by efforts to support economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and increased the proportion of government budgets devoted to debt servicing.

Budget credibility in Mozambique – challenges and solutions

by Felix Mambo and Ricardo Santos

Mozambique ranks in the bottom 20 of the human development index, with nearly two-thirds of its population (18.9 million people) living below the USD 0.70-a-day national poverty line. Simultaneously, the country struggles to finance public spending and consistently runs state budget deficits, accompanied by consistent underspending. Our recent study on budget credibility in Mozambique takes a deep dive into tendencies in state budgeting, exploring why the government’s challenges in meeting its revenue and expenditure targets harm the overall economy and suggesting solutions.

A tale of two cities: Can electricity supply save lives without deepening divides?

by Joshua Budlender

On 25 May 2023, three-year-old Neyamiah James died after extended electricity outages in Johannesburg caused her home oxygen machine to run out of backup power. On 4 March 2023, Yengiwe Mthimunye died after being turned away from Waterval Clinic in Mpumalanga because of a power outage. Bhekisisa relayed an anonymized account of a load-shedding-induced death at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in July 2022. On 25 November 2023, a man died after being refused entry to a clinic in Limpopo, reportedly because of a power outage. In January 2023, power outages allegedly contributed to five farmworkers’ deaths from heatstroke in Kakamas in the Northern Cape.

Owning our destiny: economic prospects for Africa

by Yemi Kale

Yemi Kale is the Group Chief Economist of the African Export-Import Bank. In this editorial, he reflects on the prospects for Africa’s future following the Afreximbank 2024 Annual Meetings, held in Nassau, Bahamas, on the theme of ‘Owning our Destiny: Economic Prosperity on a Platform of Global Africa’.

From snow to spring – research and life lessons from Finland

by Krishna Priya Choragudi

Coming from a tropical region in India, the Finnish weather, with its sub-zero temperatures, were an unfamiliar challenge, but I was inspired by the Finns seamlessly navigating their daily lives amidst snowstorms and their incredible strength (a concept known in Finnish as sisu, loosely translated to extraordinary determination). During my three-month stay in Helsinki, I learned the essence of sisu—witnessing how it shapes daily life here but how sometimes even harsh conditions are made more bearable from the strong social safety nets and functional infrastructure.

NEWS

Gabriel Zucman presents his modest proposal for taxing the world’s billionaires at provocative WIDER Annual Lecture 28 garnering attention in Finland

On 4 September, renowned economist Gabriel Zucman addressed the lagging progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals set for 2030, emphasizing the critical role of tax reforms. Speaking at the 28th WIDER Annual Lecture held in Helsinki, Finland, and streamed online through UNTV, Zucman highlighted how the current tax systems widen the gap between the ultra-wealthy and the less affluent, perpetuating inequality globally. The lecture generated interest in Finnish media, with exclusive interviews in YLE, Helsingin Sanomat, and Maailma.net.

UNU-WIDER co-authors policy brief for UN Economist Network

The brief offers policy options to Global South countries on how to reform their tax systems to finance the SDGs and tackle global challenges such as illicit financial flows and the digitalization of the economy. It explores how countries can harness tax policies to mobilize resources for investments in health, gender and climate, and presents supportive mechanisms and frameworks for aligning taxation with the achievements of the SDG.

UNU-WIDER donates books to UEM central library

To disseminate knowledge, promote and facilitate research among teachers, students, and researchers at UEM, and the wider academic community in Mozambique, UNU-WIDER donated several of its books to the Central Library Brazão Mazula of the University of Eduardo Mondlane (UEM) in Mozambique. The delivery of the 11 volumes took place on 15 August 2024.

OPPORTUNITIES

Vacancy | Research Associate (PSA) – Conflict

UNU-WIDER is hiring a Research Associate in Helsinki, Finland. As Research Associate you would contribute to the implementation of a project looking at the relationship between state-building and conflict as part of our Domestic Revenue Mobilization Programme, which builds bridges between research and policy. Closing date: 29 October 2024

Vacancy | UNU-WIDER Internship Programme

UNU-WIDER is looking for a Research Intern (starting 1 February 2025) and is accepting applications for the internship position. Closing date: 30 September 2024, 23:59 UTC+3

Vacancy | Visiting Scholars

Our Visiting Scholars Programme gives qualified scholars an opportunity to research topics related to development and/or global economic issues, and to participate in UNU-WIDER activities. Deadline for applications is 30 September 2024, 23:59 UTC+3.

Vacancy | Visiting PhD Fellowship

Our Visiting PhD Fellowship Programme gives registered doctoral students an opportunity to utilize the resources and facilities at UNU-WIDER for their PhD dissertation or thesis research on developing economies, and to work with our researchers in areas of mutual interest. Deadline for applications is 30 September 2024, 23:59 UTC+3.

WIDER Working Papers

Working Paper

Economic geography determinants of spatial wage disparities in South Africa – evidence from a firm‐level panel

by Sanduku Mulumba, Lawrence Edwards, and David Fadiran

Working Paper

Tax financing options for new social protection instruments – the equity implications of taxing more to expand the South African social security system

by Maya Goldman and Ntuthuko Hlela

Working Paper

Legal identity and access to the state in South Africa

by Aimable Nsabimana, Michelle Pleace, and Rachel M. Gisselquist

Working Paper

The effects of armed conflicts on local economic dynamics in the Mopti and Ségou regions of Mali

by Mahamadou Bassirou Tangara

Working Paper

Plague, war, and exodus? The effects of desert locust swarms on migration intentions in Yemen

by Yashodhan Ghorpade

Working Paper

The political economy of structural transformation in African cities – insights from the Deals and Development framework

by Kunal Sen

EVENTS

Patricia Justino presents at a UN General Assembly side event

23 September 2024

World Bank and Brazil's G20 Presidency host a side event in New York on 23 September 2024 during the UN General Assembly High-level Week. The event gathers ministerial-level participants to discuss pathways to advance on the goal of eradicating poverty and boosting shared prosperity on a livable planet amid polycrisis. UNU-WIDER Deputy Director Patricia Justino is one of the panelists at the event.

UNU-WIDER at the Fragile Lives 2024 conference

1-2 October 2024

Households in Conflict Network celebrates its 20th anniversary during the conference Fragile Lives 2024 on 1–2 October in Berlin. UNU-WIDER Deputy Director Patricia Justino, one of the founders and directors of the network, hosts a keynote panel at the conference. UNU-WIDER Research Associate Laura Saavedra-Lux presents her ongoing research.

#Jobs4Dev – Jobs and development confrence

8 October 2024

The conference focuses on policy-relevant research, applicable to identifying solutions to jobs challenges in low- and middle-income countries.The event takes place on 8 and 9 October 2024, in Cairo, Egypt. The two-day format will feature keynote speeches, a policy panel, special sessions and about 50 paper presentations in parallel sessions.

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