June 2019
28Jun

The political economy of pension reform

By Sarah Brooks, Duke University, Estelle James, World Bank It has become apparent that many policies that we recommend at the Bank for technical economic reasons have not been implemented for political reasons. This discrepancy between economics and politics has led the Bank, and the academic community, to begin thinking about the political economy of reform. Considerable work has already been done on the political economy of macro-economic reform and trade policy, emphasizing factors such as incomplete information,...

June 28, 2019
Articles, Regulation, ,
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May 2019

24May

Economic Growth and the Public Sector: A Comparison of Canada and Italy, 1870-2013

By Livio Di Matteo, T. P. Barbiero There is considerable evidence that the size of the public sector can influence an economy’s rate of economic growth. We investigate public sector spending of central governments and economic performance in two G7 countries over the long-term, Canada and Italy. Their economic performance has diverged in the last 25 years and it is worth investigating whether the size of government was a contributing factor. We find that in both the case of...

May 24, 2019
Articles, System Sustainability, , ,
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20May

Three Economic Myths about Ageing: Participation, Immigration and Infrastructure

By Dr Cameron K. Murray, Leith van Onselen Population ageing due to longevity is one of the greatest successes of the modern era. However, it is widely thought to dramatically reduce workforce participation and overall output resulting in significant economic costs. This widely held view is wrong. Ageing countries have higher economic growth and the improved health and longevity of older people increases their economic contributions. High immigration is also thought to combat population ageing and be a remedy...

May 20, 2019
Aging, Articles, Labor Market, , ,
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17May

Pakistan at Seventy: A Handbook on Developments in Economics, Politics and Society

por Shahid Javed Burki, Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, Asad Ejaz Butt This handbook examines Pakistan's 70-year history from a number of different perspectives. When Pakistan was born, it did not have a capital, a functioning government or a central bank. The country lacked a skilled workforce. While the state was in the process of being established, eight million Muslim refugees arrived from India, who had to be absorbed into a population of 24 million people. However, within 15 years,...

May 17, 2019
Books, System Sustainability, , ,
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April 2019

29Apr

Economics and Ageing: Volume I: Theory

By Jose Luis Iparraguirre This upper level textbook provides a coherent introduction to the economic implications of individual and population ageing. Placing economic considerations into a wider social sciences context, this is ideal reading not only for advanced undergraduate and masters students in economics, health economics and the economics of ageing, but also policy makers, students, professionals and practitioners in gerontology, sociology, health-related sciences and social care. This volume introduces the different conceptualisations of age and definitions of `old age', as...

April 29, 2019
Aging, Books, Books,
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29Apr

Economics and Ageing: Volume II: Policy and Applied

By Jose Luis Iparraguirre This upper level textbook provides a coherent introduction to the economic implications of individual and population ageing. Placing economic considerations into a wider social sciences context, this is ideal reading not only for advanced undergraduate and masters students in economics, health economics and the economics of ageing, but also policy makers, students, professionals and practitioners in gerontology, sociology, health-related sciences and social care. This volume discusses the fiscal implications of ageing, health economics and long-term care. Fiscal...

April 29, 2019
Aging, Books, Books,
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29Apr

Financial Inclusion in the Europe and Central Asia Region: Recent Trends and a Research Agenda

By Asli Demirguc-Kunt (World Bank), Bingjie Hu (World Bank), Leora Klapper (World Bank) Financial inclusion can help promote development. Inclusive financial systems allow people to invest in their education and health, save for retirement, capitalize on business opportunities, and confront shocks. In the Europe and Central Asia region, there is great variation in financial inclusion. In the euro area, most adults already own an account. Account ownership -- which is the first step of entry into the formal financial system...

April 29, 2019
Articles, System Sustainability, , ,
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15Apr

The Dynamism of the New Economy: Non-Standard Employment and Access to Social Security in EU-28

By Sonja Avlijas (LIEPP - Sciences Po) This paper examines the prevalence of non-standard workers in EU-28, rules for accessing social security, and these workers’ risk of not being able to access it. It focuses on temporary and part-time workers, and the self-employed, and offers a particularly detailed analysis of their access to unemployment benefits. It focuses on eligibility, adequacy (net income replacement rates) and identifies those workers which are at the greatest risk of either not receiving benefits or...

April 15, 2019
Articles, Labor Market, , , ,
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February 2019

15Feb

The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Poverty

By Clayton M. Christensen,‎ Efosa Ojomo,‎ Karen Dillon Clayton M. Christensen, the author of such business classics as The Innovator’s Dilemma and the New York Times bestseller How Will You Measure Your Life, and co-authors Efosa Ojomo and Karen Dillon reveal why so many investments in economic development fail to generate sustainable prosperity, and offers a groundbreaking solution for true and lasting change.Global poverty is one of the world’s most vexing problems. For decades, we’ve assumed smart, well-intentioned people will eventually be able to change the...

February 15, 2019
Books, Labor Market, System Sustainability, , ,
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10Feb

Hustle and Gig: Struggling and Surviving in the Sharing Economy

By Alexandrea J. Ravenelle Choose your hours, choose your work, be your own boss, control your own income. Welcome to the sharing economy, a nebulous collection of online platforms and apps that promise to transcend capitalism. Supporters argue that the gig economy will reverse economic inequality, enhance worker rights, and bring entrepreneurship to the masses. But does it?In Hustle and Gig, Alexandrea J. Ravenelle shares the personal stories of nearly eighty predominantly millennial workers from Airbnb, Uber, TaskRabbit, and Kitchensurfing. Their...

February 10, 2019
Books, Labor Market, Savings, ,
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