Blog
Nigeria: botched economic reforms plunge the country into crisisNigeria, Africa’s largest economy, is facing an economic crisis. From a botched currency redesign to the removal of fuel subsidies and a currency...
Policy Brief
How to create decent work for womenDespite 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
Decoding development – insights from UNU-WIDER's synthesis process and beyondAt UNU-WIDER, we undertake our work explicitly within the context of an emergent strategy designed to maximize the impact of our research findings. We...
Blog
Rethinking change – three stories of real-world impactUNU-WIDER operates at the intersection of research, capacity development, and policy engagement, with a mission to improve the lives of the world’s...
Policy Brief
Keys for sustaining Tanzania’s economic developmentAnnual Lecture
Technology and inequality in the past and the futureBook
Chilean Economic Development under NeoliberalismThis publication examines the process of economic development of the last 50 years or so under the neoliberal model in terms of impacts on growth, inflation, income and wealth distribution and structural change. The analysis includes a historical...
Blog
Taking localisation beyond labels and lip serviceDonors increasingly speak of locally led aid response, but often do not walk the walk. Case in point is the United States Agency for International...
Blog
Looking back, moving forward – a photo retrospective of the 2019-2023 WIDER Work ProgrammeAs we conclude the groundbreaking years of the 2019–2023 work programme on transforming economies, states, and societies, we reflect on the milestones...
Journal Article
Is the era of declining global income inequality over?This study examines the trajectory of global income inequality since 1981. Commonly used (relative) definitions indicate a decline in global inequality since the late 1980s. Looking ahead, it has been intuited that the influence of China's economic...
Blog
How climate change increases vulnerability to human trafficking in the PhilippinesAs COP28 unfolds, I share new findings on the impact of climate change on human rights violations and, more specifically, on human trafficking as...
Journal Article
Bridging the gapAffirmative action in higher education can lead to mismatch, where students admitted through preferential treatment struggle academically due to inadequate preparation before college. Although some students may face initial challenges, by providing...
Blog
Improving early child development outcomes in low-income settingsImproving early child development outcomes in low-income settings requires affordable, sustainable, and easily scalable solutions. The “First Steps”...
Blog
Financing development goals in times of crisisPursuing the global development agenda will require genuine commitment from political leaders and significant stepping-up of government efforts. But...
Journal Article
Does the depth of informality influence welfare in urban sub-Saharan Africa?We explore the relationship between household welfare and informality, measuring household informality as the share of members’ activities (hours worked or income) without social insurance. We discretize these measures into four bins or portfolios...
Journal Article
Do the principles of effective development co-operation improve development outcomes?Elaborated in their current form in Busan in 2011, and reiterated in Geneva in 2022, the four Principles of Effective Development Co-operation comprise country ownership, focus on results, inclusive partnerships, and transparency and mutual...
Blog
Unpacking 'country ownership': four messages from the fieldThe new and improved Global Partnership monitoring framework for effective development co-operation, launched in 2022, is now fully in motion, with...
Blog
Development aid cuts will hit fragile countries hard, could fuel violent conflictFragile and least developed countries have had their development assistance cut drastically, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation...
Research Brief
The prolonged effects of terrorismTerrorist violence has a profound influence on social attitudes, including trust in governmental institutions and attitudes towards migration and civil freedoms. Acts of terrorism cause citizens to experience a complex range of negative emotions...
Blog
Pre-colonial politics affects tax compliance in modern day UgandaParts 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 institutionsConcerns 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 policymakersFrom profit shifting to sanction evasion, illicit financial flows divert funds away from essential poverty-fighting and infrastructure programs. A...
Working Paper
Wage inequality, firm characteristics, and firm wage premia in South AfricaThis paper investigates the role of firm characteristics in driving wage inequality and firm wage premia in the South African labour market. The Abowd, Kramarz, and Margolis (AKM) and Kline, Saggio, and Sølvsten (KSS) regression-based decomposition...