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Financing for DevelopmentThe reform of the international financial and tax systems has been at the center of global debates in recent years—in the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the OECD and the G20. The fourth United Nations Conference on...
Journal Article
The effect of citizens’ perception of governance on tax complianceRaising domestic revenue still represents a priority for most Sub-Saharan African countries that continue to face high tax non-compliance. This research investigates whether there is a link between citizens’ perceptions of governance and individual...
Blog
Do minimum wages reduce inequality in India?Wage inequality in India has declined over the past two decades. This article examines the role of rising minimum wages in driving this trend...
Book
Fragile AidESTIMATED FOR OPEN ACCESS ONLINE PUBLICATION ON 3 APRIL 2025 | An important question for the future of aid concerns its role in weak states and conflict contexts. While considerable research points to a mixed record of effectiveness in these contexts...
Blog
The Beijing Declaration 30 years later – where do we stand?
The 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action set ambitious goals for equality, development, and peace for women worldwide. Endorsed by 189...
Working Paper
Minimum wages, de facto private standards, and trade diversion in horticultureThe effects of minimum wages on workers and firms depend on enforcement and compliance. While most research examines local determinants, this paper explores whether international market enforcement influences minimum wage impacts. In South Africa...
Working Paper
Social protection for Mozambique's elderlyThis study assesses the effectiveness of Mozambique's flagship social pension programme, the elderly component of the Programa de Subsídio Social Básico (PSSB). Focusing on three key criteria—programme targeting, reliability, and materiality—we...
Blog
South Africa’s electricity crisis – governance, challenges, and reform lessonsSouth Africa’s energy sector is undergoing a transformation. The suspension of load shedding—planned, rolling power outages to prevent grid collapse —...
Working Paper
Kuznets in the twenty-first centuryBuilding upon a multisectoral framework in light of the Kuznetsian paradigm, this paper analyses the relationship between structural transformation and income inequality. Empirical evidence is drawn using a large census dataset consisting of more...
Working Paper
Is inequality always unfair?Knowledge of the factors driving people’s views on redistribution in the Global South remains limited. While these societies occupy top positions in inequality rankings, redistribution levels tend to be lower. We combine survey and experimental data...
Blog
Walking the road to the Fourth Financing for Development Conference and beyondLast week, we attended the 2025 UNDP Dialogue on Public Finance and SDGs, where we explored the most pressing topics regarding public financing for...
Blog
Agricultural development in Mozambique – seizing opportunities using a novel datasetAgriculture has long been the backbone of Mozambique’s economy. Over 70% of the population relies on this sector for their livelihoods, contributing...
Working Paper
Inequality and agricultural structural changeSince 1950, agricultural productivity has been increasing even as labourers leave agriculture. However, while average productivity of the sector has been converging, within-sector inequality has been increasing. Agricultural income inequality is...
Blog
In their own words: A personnel exchange between African tax data labs is a small but important example of the value of cooperationIn recent years, UNU-WIDER has partnered with sub-Saharan African governments to establish secure data labs that provide researchers with access to...
Working Paper
Weathering challengesMozambique is highly vulnerable to climate change. It faces frequent cyclones, floods, and droughts while having limited revenue collection capacity and social protection programmes. This paper assesses the distributional effects of climate shocks on...
Journal Article
Encouraging micro-enterprises to prepare for disastersWorldwide, enterprises are affected by disasters such as cyclones and floods. Despite these negative impacts, many do not prepare for future disasters. Research on pro-environmental behavior suggests that changing the factors influencing people’s...
Blog
Celebrating 40 Years of UNU-WIDER
In 2025, UNU-WIDER completes four decades of work. Starting as a small think-tank in relatively remote Helsinki, it has grown into a global institute...
Working Paper
Distribution in late developmentThis paper proposes a novel assessment of the Kuznets curve for an underdeveloped country engaging in rapid late development. We mobilize new long-run data for Brazil, combining surveys, administrative records, and national accounts statistics, to...
Working Paper
Rule of law in MozambiqueThis paper examines the state and evolution of the rule of law in Mozambique, focusing on key dimensions such as voice and political participation, judicial independence and accessibility, corruption, access to basic services, personal security, and...