Chart of the WeekWhen Inequality is High, Pandemics Can Fuel Social Unrest
By Tahsin Saadi Sedik and Rui Xu
In the months and years following previous pandemics, the countries most affected saw a rise in social unrest. (more…)
Teleworking is Not Working for the Poor, the Young, and the Women
By Mariya Brussevich, Era Dabla-Norris, and Salma Khalid
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
The COVID-19 pandemic is devastating labor markets across the world. Tens of millions of workers lost their jobs, millions more out of the labor force altogether, and many occupations face an uncertain future. (more…)
On Board with More Women in Leadership
By Kristalina Georgieva and Louise Levonian
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語
Where are all the women? It is a question we shouldn’t have to ask in 2020. But we do. Why? Because there are simply too few women in leadership positions all over the world. On the eve of International Women’s Day and as we approach the 100th anniversary of women getting the vote here in the United States, the time is right to get a handle on the problem. (more…)
The Declining Fortunes of the Young
By Era Dabla-Norris , Carlo Pizzinelli, and Jay Rappaport
Will I do as well as my parents?
A positive answer to this question once seemed a foregone conclusion; now, for recent generations, less so. Despite being more educated than their parents, millennials—those born between 1980 and 2000—may have less job stability during their working life. Concerns that it might be more difficult to break into the middle class, or to have enough retirement savings, are also rising to the fore in policy debates in many advanced economies. (more…)
Chart of the WeekHigher Growth. Lower Crime?
Central America remains one of the world’s most violent regions, where about 4.5 percent of the world’s homicides occur. The region has only about 0.5 percent of the world’s population. (more…)
Fiscal Policies For Women’s Economic Empowerment
By Stefania Fabrizio, Daniel Gurara and Lisa Kolovich
Making sure that opportunities to enter the workforce are fair and rewarding for women benefits everyone. Yet, the average female workforce participation rate across countries is still 20 percentage points lower than the male rate, largely because gender gaps in wages and access to opportunities, such as education, stubbornly persist. (more…)
Chart of the WeekSouth Africa: Bridging the Income Divide
By IMFBlog
South Africa suffers among the highest levels of inequality in the world. As our Chart of the Week shows, the country’s wealth is concentrated in the upper levels of society. The top 20 percent of the population holds over 68 percent of income, while the poorest 40 percent possess only 7 percent of income. (more…)
Reduce Inequality To Create Opportunity
عربي, Español, 中文, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
Over the past decade, inequality has become one of the most complex and vexing challenges in the global economy.
Inequality of opportunity. Inequality across generations. Inequality between women and men. And, of course, inequality of income and wealth . They are all present in our societies and—unfortunately— in many countries they are growing. (more…)
Striking the Right Balance Between Sustainable Development and Sustainable Debt
Over the past two decades, sub-Saharan Africa has made considerable economic progress: extreme poverty levels have declined by one third; life expectancy has increased by a fifth; and real per capita income has grown by about 50 percent on average. Yet, sub-Saharan Africa is still only half-way to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. (more…)