WIDERAngle

Expert commentary from our network

About

The WIDERAngle publishes expert commentary and analysis of the latest research in global development. The WIDERAngle supports UNU-WIDER’s missions to undertake research and policy analysis on the most pressing concerns affecting humanity and provides a forum for knowledge sharing, discussion, and debate.

 

To see past newsletters, visit our WIDERAngle archive.

 

Write for the WIDERAngle

We accept submissions that represent sincere efforts to advance knowledge on topics related to the promotion of sustainable and equitable development for all. Although many of our writers are established in their fields, we particularly encourage submissions from early-career researchers, policy professionals, and writers who represent Global South countries and perspectives.

 

For guidelines on WIDERAngle submissions, please refer to our Guidelines for submissions.

 

Send submission queries to editorialteam@wider.unu.edu.

 

EDITORIAL TEAM

Executive Editor: Annett Victorero

Managing Editor: Timothy Shipp

Assistant Editor: Tristan Reid

 

Subscribe to the newsletter

Watts happening to work? The labour market effects of South Africa’s electricity crisis

by Haroon Bhorat, Tim Köhler
two miners with shovels
In South Africa, the power grid undergoes rotational, scheduled outages—or rolling blackouts—most commonly referred to as load shedding. Load shedding is primarily a consequence of frequent breakdowns at the national utility. These are due to a combination of poor long-term planning, a lack of financial resources, rampant state capture and corruption, and aging coal-fired power stations. Four of every five (80%) of South Africa’s coal-fired plants are past their mid-life cycle. Power outages...

How to get back on track to ending poverty – the imperative for a livable planet

by Luis Felipe López-Calva
We are off track to end poverty. Despite remarkable progress over the past few decades, the goal of eradicating poverty remains elusive, and SDG1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere is out of reach. While more than a billion people have been lifted out of poverty, the pace has significantly slowed. If we persist with business-as-usual, by 2030 around 7% of the world’s population will still live in extreme poverty—more than double our target of 3%.Unsurprisingly, this challenge is...

Just transitions and the importance of social protection reforms for ambitious climate action

by Christina Dankmeyer, Katrin Gasior, 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 it is crucial to consider the effects of climate change mitigation policies on various population groups, we explore two policy options —carbon pricing and removal of fossil fuel subsidies. In our latest...

462 Blogpost

Filter by...

Reset all
UNU-WIDER topic
    Blog
    Bolstering the skills of young people – the key to South Africa's economic growth
    Placeholder

    As a young data developer responsible for mining and analysing the administrative tax data provided to researchers through the SA-TIED programme, I am...

    Blog
    Are knowledge monopolies driving global inequality?
    Placeholder

    In a new release for the UNU-WIDER and Cambridge University Press Elements in Development Economics series, I look at global capitalist economic...

    Blog
    Mapping economic stability for countries in the Global South
    Placeholder

    In 2024, central banks worldwide are confronted with the challenges of juggling inflation control, economic growth, and the preservation of financial...

    Blog
    Uganda’s tax system isn’t bringing in enough revenue, but is targeting small business the answer?
    Placeholder

    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...

    Blog
    Affirmative action in Brazil’s higher education system

    Evidence from Brazil shows how affirmative action students in the higher education system adjust their behaviour to catch up with initially higher...

    Blog
    Research in focus – country profiles: Indonesia and Ecuador
    Placeholder

    Our Institute’s expansive international research contributions, consisting of over 800 WIDER Working Papers in the 2019–23 work programme, delve deep...

    Blog
    Are Sovereign Wealth Funds fit for purpose in Africa?

    Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) have become a symbol of national success and a means for global, commercial and geopolitical influence. But how well do...

    Policy Brief
    How to create decent work for women

    Despite advancements for gender equality in some spheres, labour market outcomes for women continue to be worse than for men. Gender gaps in pay, labour force participation rates, and measures of job quality are stubbornly persistent and continue to...

    Blog
    Cash Plus: Towards poverty reduction in Zambia
    Placeholder

    The Zambian government wants to reduce poverty by 20% by 2030. To make this happen, the government reformed their national cash transfer programmes...

    Research Brief
    Search image, calculator, pen, Ugandan currency, URA form. Image: Kalungi Kabuye / UNU-WIDER
    What is the impact of corporate tax incentives in Uganda?
    Blog
    Affirmative action policies to increase diversity are successful, but controversial, around the world

    In a landmark judgment in June 2023, the US Supreme Court ruled against the use of race-conscious admissions in colleges and universities. This...

    Blog
    Reforming taxation in Kenya to reduce debt distress
    Placeholder

    Improving tax systems is important for multiple reasons. For Kenya, finding ways to mobilize domestic revenue streams is critical to cutting the...

    Blog
    Gender pay gaps on the rise in South Africa

    New analysis of income data in South Africa shows the gender pay gap—how much more men earn than women—has increased. According to findings from a...

    Blog
    Financing development goals in times of crisis

    Pursuing the global development agenda will require genuine commitment from political leaders and significant stepping-up of government efforts. But...

    Blog
    Modelling to influence poverty and inequality in Zanzibar: Latest addition to the SOUTHMOD programme
    Placeholder

    ZANMOD, the tax-benefit microsimulation model for Zanzibar, was launched in November 2023. The model will aid local authorities and researchers in...

    Blog
    Realizing socioeconomic rights with a limited budget
    Placeholder

    The South African constitution is considered progressive and transformative in intention due to its inclusion of socioeconomic rights, such as the...

    Research Brief
    Kampala, Uganda, search image. Image: Anna Toppari / UNU-WIDER
    Why are businesses in the capital area of Uganda not paying their taxes?
    Blog
    Pre-colonial politics affects tax compliance in modern day Uganda

    Parts of Uganda that had centralised political systems before colonial rule are more likely to have higher rates of voluntary tax compliance. Merima...

    Policy Brief
    Tasks, skills, and institutions

    Concerns about widening income inequality within countries continue to gain prominence in public debate worldwide. In the last decade, attention to the concentration of income at the very top of the distribution (top 1%) has increased. This...

    Blog
    Overcoming the challenge of illicit financial flows: Four pieces of advice for policymakers
    Placeholder

    From profit shifting to sanction evasion, illicit financial flows divert funds away from essential poverty-fighting and infrastructure programs. A...

    Blog
    On the road to fairer societies in Asia and the Pacific region: Four focus areas on center stage

    A recent panel discussion at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in Bangkok set out to identify policy...

    Blog
    Four things to consider to improve public revenues in the Global South: New findings from the Government Revenue Dataset

    Across the Global South, governments continue efforts to increase domestic revenues and capacity for public spending. As concerns over debt distress...

    Research Brief
    Oranges and yellow paper creating circular and wavy patterns. Photo by Li Zhang on Unsplash
    The rise of social protection in the Global South – the role of foreign aid
    Blog
    Lessons for tax policy from the WIDER Development Conference in Oslo
    Placeholder

    The annual WIDER Development Conference held this year in Oslo concentrated on domestic revenue mobilization (DRM). The 2.5-day hybrid event...

    Policy Brief
    WIDER Annual Lecture Brief | Globalization in crisis – confronting a new economic reality
    Blog
    From tax data to inclusive policies: How collaboration can help
    Placeholder

    UNU-WIDER has worked for several years in collaboration with sub-Saharan African revenue authorities to facilitate the analysis of digital tax data...

    Blog
    The COVID-19 TERS policy saved at least 2 million jobs: But not without some unintended results

    About three years have passed since the South African government introduced the COVID-19 Temporary Employer-Employee Relief Scheme (TERS) in response...

    Blog
    Oslo conference turns the spotlight on sustainable development financing
    Placeholder

    With the deadline for achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals just seven years away, there is an increasing sense of urgency over the...

    Policy Brief
    How to support the emergence of effective tax systems

    There has been a revival of interest in the state’s role in economic development. Recent research argues that the most successful economies are those where effective states provide crucial public goods and services. The historical emergence of...

    Blog
    Will a revenue boom support development in resource-rich economies?

    The post-COVID-19 economic recovery and Russia’s war with Ukraine have caused some natural resource prices to reach new highs. Although forecasting...

    Blog
    Unlocking efficiency – overcoming challenges in South Africa's rail freight sector
    Placeholder

    The South African rail freight sector is currently facing a crisis of operational efficiency, which is having a significant economic impact. In the...

    Blog
    Paralyzing debt burden threatens Africa’s largest economy
    Placeholder

    Apart from a ‘badly flawed’ national election, insecurity, and mass exodus of its young talents to the Global North (locally known as Japa), a...

    Blog
    What determines tax revenues mobilization?
    Placeholder

    Tax revenues and political institutions placing constraints on the executive power may reinforce each other over time and this may also bring a shift...

    Blog
    SOUTHMOD family extended: Welcome to the three new Latin American teams

    How would progressive income taxation affect income inequality in Bolivia? What are the costs and benefits of implementing a state pension in Colombia...

    Blog
    Partnerships with Global South governments improve development policy and support achieving the Global Goals
    Placeholder

    In Mozambique, Tanzania, South Africa, Uganda, and elsewhere, UNU-WIDER is on the ground to support national development plans, collect and create...

    Research Brief
    Perceptions of inequality among young adults in Mozambique
    Blog
    The Great Gatsby Curve and the Global South: Time for a more ambitious redistribution and reparations agenda

    The famous 1920s book The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is the classic analogy for the American dream of meritocracy —that any person can...

    Blog
    The richer your neighbours, the more you borrow – the case of South Africa
    Placeholder

    Research on how income inequality affects borrowing behaviour reignited after the 2008 global recession. One prevailing theory is that rising income...

    Blog
    Four global problems that will be aggravated by the UK’s recent cuts to international aid

    UK economic forecasts have improved markedly since the September 2022 mini-budget. The economic recession may now be more shallow and public borrowing...

    Blog
    Is a strong middle class the secret to high levels of human development?

    Many countries today experience increasing or persistent income inequality, a major concern for citizens and politicians alike. This concern is...

    Blog
    $1 trillion in the shade: The annual profits multinational corporations shift to tax havens continues to climb and climb

    About a decade ago, the world’s biggest economies agreed to crack down on multinational corporations’ abusive use of tax havens. This resulted in a 15...

    Blog
    From Monterrey to Addis Ababa, and what has happened since?
    Placeholder

    The importance of domestic revenue mobilization and taxation for sustainable development is widely acknowledged in global development discussions, but...

    Research Brief
    New estimates on the share of tax evasion in Zambia
    Research Brief
    Did withholding value-added tax improve revenue collection in Zambia?
    Blog
    Direct support to small scale farmers reduces poverty: What Zambia is doing right

    Over half of Zambia’s population lived below the national poverty line in 2015. In rural areas, where 89% of households are engaged in agriculture...

    Blog
    Social mobility among disadvantaged groups in India

    In recent decades, India has experienced rapid economic growth alongside radical affirmative action programs enacted since independence. This column...

    Blog
    Secure research data lab in Uganda: A game changer for efficient and fair taxation

    In May 2022, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) and UNU-WIDER collaboratively launched a secure research data laboratory facility in Kampala, Uganda...

    Blog
    New global estimates on profits in tax havens suggest the tax loss continues to rise

    The world has been trying to curb profit shifting to tax havens for a decade, but consistent time series evaluating the impact of these reforms have...

    Blog
    Climate resilience and sustainable sovereign debt
    Placeholder

    2022 is already a record-breaker in the number of climate change-related events, and developing countries must now pay for the repairs and remediation...

    Blog
    New country on the SOUTHMOD map: Meet our tax-benefit microsimulation team in Rwanda!
    Placeholder

    How can Global South countries improve their tax and social protection systems? One way is to take advantage of tools that help assess the impact of...

    Blog
    Not too long and not too short: Introducing the new UNU-WIDER and Cambridge University Press series in Development Economics

    Simon Kuznets’ pipe dream was to have economic inequality data that rarely existed when he was writing. What are the pipe dreams of today’s...

    Blog
    Teamwork and capacity strengthening to promote development: The case of Mozambique

    Designing and implementing public policies requires caution to guarantee the best use of scarce resources, especially in middle- and lower-income...

    Blog
    Global tax reforms, net-zero, and domestic revenue: Food for thought from the DRM programme
    Placeholder

    Domestic revenue mobilization (DRM) and taxation have gained prominence lately on the global agenda, most recently with the resolution for the United...

    Blog
    Empirical research is crucial for better tax enforcement in the developing world
    Placeholder

    I had the privilege to participate in the UNU-WIDER Winter School as one of the lecturers. In this blog, I explain my main takeaways for students and...

    Blog
    Fintech and domestic savings: A perfect match coming true in sub-Saharan Africa
    Placeholder

    Financial technology (FinTech) is a major force disrupting the structure of financial services in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and enabling access of...

    Blog
    The inheritance of human capital: Rethinking how much parents’ influence children’s human capital in low- and middle-income countries
    Placeholder

    The measure of human capital —the economic value of one’s skills and experience— acknowledges that investments in people’s cognitive and emotional...

    Blog
    Reducing inequality — the great challenge of our time
    Placeholder

    Early in October 2022, international and Colombian researchers gathered together for three days at the UNIANDES campus, located at the foot of the...

    Blog
    Inequality, fiscal space, and crisis response — A matter of priority, affordability, or both?
    Placeholder

    In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, governments financed more than 5000 fiscal support policies worldwide in 2020–21. The pandemic response is an...

    Blog
    Report from the WIDER Development Conference on reducing inequality
    Placeholder

    For several decades, UNU-WIDER has actively worked on pathfinding and groundbreaking research on inequalities. We host one of the most extensive...

    Blog
    Urban poverty: cities, slums, and the need for policy action

    Developing countries will be predominantly urban by 2030. While urbanization is historically associated with development and broad-based social...

    Blog
    Tools for effective tax administration
    Placeholder

    The importance of conducting high-quality analysis for policy advice cannot be understated. The UNU-WIDER Winter School for tax policy research...

    Blog
    Lives can be improved when policymakers and researchers collaborate
    Placeholder

    My motivation for doing economics research comes from the wish to see every human being have their basic needs met and enjoy their life. My interest...

    Blog
    Experiences from UNU-WIDER Winter School 2022: One of the best global training programmes in tax research
    Placeholder

    Across Africa, governments are now waking up to the fact that taxation targets or economic development goals will not be met without policies that are...

    Blog
    Sales recovered faster from the pandemic than employment: Evidence from tax administrative and survey data in Zambia

    Like most other countries, the government of Zambia introduced restrictions to control COVID-19, which considerably curtailed normal economic activity...

    Displaying 64 of 462 results