Uneven Odds, Unequal Outcomes

Uneven Odds, Unequal Outcomes PDF Author: Nandini Krishnan
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 1464807876
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 197

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Book Description
Perceptions of eroding living standards and low life satisfaction are widespread in the Middle East and North Africa region today, along with pessimism about prospects for economic mobility. Conventional measures of economic well-being offer little in the way of explanation †“ in most countries in the region, extreme poverty is low and declining and economic inequality is lower than in other parts of the world. This book investigates possible reasons for this disconnect, focusing on the role played by inadequate and unequal access to opportunities to realize one’s aspirations for economic mobility. The inability of most countries in the region to meet the aspirations of citizens is closely linked to persistent weaknesses in the labor markets where the pace of job creation has been chronically below levels required to absorb the growing and increasingly better educated population. A high degree of segmentation in the labor markets also puts the youth and women in the region at a particular disadvantage. While labor markets are critical for mobility, opportunities and life paths can diverge even earlier in life if access to basic services in health, education and infrastructure are unequally distributed among children in their formative years. This book documents sharp disparities in the quality of services available to children of varying birth circumstances in the region. Although the most intense debates in development coalesce around inequality of income or wealth, the notion of inequality of opportunity has an intuitive appeal that can bridge ideological differences. By drawing attention to the notion of equality of opportunity to create a level playing field for all sections of society, the book highlights the need to critically examine the social contract and governance structures that guide the delivery of services and are instrumental for implementing necessary reforms to make labor markets more dynamic and equitable.

Uneven Odds, Unequal Outcomes

Uneven Odds, Unequal Outcomes PDF Author: Nandini Krishnan
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 1464807876
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 197

Get Book Here

Book Description
Perceptions of eroding living standards and low life satisfaction are widespread in the Middle East and North Africa region today, along with pessimism about prospects for economic mobility. Conventional measures of economic well-being offer little in the way of explanation †“ in most countries in the region, extreme poverty is low and declining and economic inequality is lower than in other parts of the world. This book investigates possible reasons for this disconnect, focusing on the role played by inadequate and unequal access to opportunities to realize one’s aspirations for economic mobility. The inability of most countries in the region to meet the aspirations of citizens is closely linked to persistent weaknesses in the labor markets where the pace of job creation has been chronically below levels required to absorb the growing and increasingly better educated population. A high degree of segmentation in the labor markets also puts the youth and women in the region at a particular disadvantage. While labor markets are critical for mobility, opportunities and life paths can diverge even earlier in life if access to basic services in health, education and infrastructure are unequally distributed among children in their formative years. This book documents sharp disparities in the quality of services available to children of varying birth circumstances in the region. Although the most intense debates in development coalesce around inequality of income or wealth, the notion of inequality of opportunity has an intuitive appeal that can bridge ideological differences. By drawing attention to the notion of equality of opportunity to create a level playing field for all sections of society, the book highlights the need to critically examine the social contract and governance structures that guide the delivery of services and are instrumental for implementing necessary reforms to make labor markets more dynamic and equitable.

Fair Progress?

Fair Progress? PDF Author: Ambar Narayan
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 1464812799
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
Fair Progress? Economic Mobility across Generations around the World focuses on an issue that has gotten much attention in the developed world, but will present new data and analysis covering most of the world including developing economies. The analysis considers whether those born in poverty or in prosperity are destined to remain in the same economic circumstances into which they were born, and looks back over a half a century at whether children's lives are better or worse than their parents' in different parts of the world. It suggests local, national, and global actions and policies that can help break the cycle of poverty, paving the way for the next generation to realize their potential and improve their lives.

World Bank East Asia and Pacific Economic Update, October 2018

World Bank East Asia and Pacific Economic Update, October 2018 PDF Author: World Bank
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 1464813663
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
"Despite some financial turbulence, growth in developing East Asia and Pacific (EAP) was resilient during the first half of 2018. The growth outlook for the region remains positive. After peaking in 2017, growth in developing EAP is expected to slow modestly in 2018, as China's economic expansion continues to moderate. However, downside risks have significantly intensified. An escalation in trade tensions and heightened financial market turbulence, either due to an acceleration in U.S. monetary policy normalization or contagion from other emerging markets could threaten the region's growth prospects. To navigate uncertainty, developing EAP economies should reduce short-term vulnerabilities and enhance buffers, redouble their commitment to an open, rules-based international trade and investment framework, including through deeper regional economic integration, and deepen structural reforms. The intensification of risks underscores the need to continue to enhance economic security by investing in human capital and strengthen social assistance and insurance programs to increase households' resilience to systemic shocks."

Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2016

Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2016 PDF Author: World Bank Group
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 1464809798
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2016 is the first of an annual flagship report that provides a global audience comprising development practitioners, policy makers, researchers, advocates, and citizens in general with the latest and most accurate estimates on trends in global poverty and shared prosperity. This edition documents trends in inequality and identifies recent country experiences that have been successful in reducing inequalities, provides key lessons from those experiences, and synthesizes the rigorous evidence on public policies that can shift inequality in a way that bolsters poverty reduction and shared prosperity in a sustainable manner.Specifically, the report addresses the following questions: •What is the latest evidence on the levels and evolution of extreme poverty and shared prosperity?•Which countries and regions have been more successful in terms of progress toward the twin goals and which are lagging behind? •What does the global context of lower economic growth mean for achieving the twin goals? •How can inequality reduction contribute to achieving the twin goals?•What does the evidence show concerning global and between- and within-country inequality trends?•Which interventions and countries have used the most innovative approaches to achieving the twin goals through reductions in inequality? The report makes four main contributions. First, it presents the most recent numbers on poverty, shared prosperity, and inequality. Second, it stresses the importance of inequality reduction in ending poverty and boosting shared prosperity by 2030 in a context of weaker growth. Third, it highlights the diversity of within-country inequality reduction experiences and synthesizes experiences of successful countries and policies, addressing the roots of inequality without compromising economic growth. In doing so, the report shatters some myths and sharpens our knowledge of what works in reducing inequalities. Finally, it advocates for the need to expand and improve data collection—for example, data availability, comparability, and quality—and rigorous evidence on inequality impacts in order to deliver high-quality poverty and shared prosperity monitoring.

TURKISH ECONOMIC ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ECONOMICS ICE-TEA 2018

TURKISH ECONOMIC ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ECONOMICS ICE-TEA 2018 PDF Author: Ercan Uygur
Publisher: Türkiye Ekonomi Kurumu
ISBN: 9758958216
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 2118

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Book Description


The Rise and the Future of Militias in the MENA Region

The Rise and the Future of Militias in the MENA Region PDF Author: Ranj Alaaldin
Publisher: Ledizioni
ISBN: 8855261398
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 97

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Book Description
In recent decades, militias and sub-national armed groups have played a decisive role in politics and security in the MENA region. Their prominence with local and outside actors in areas where state institutions have collapsed presents multiple policy challenges. Armed groups have access to substantial resources and in some cases enjoy considerable local legitimacy. That makes them formidable but also resilient forces. This is why their suppression – through coercive measures or marginalization – can bring more costs than benefits to already fragile state institutions and exhausted populations. This volume addresses the void in the current debate on subnational armed groups, focusing particularly on the multiple ongoing conflicts and turmoil in the MENA region. It places a particular emphasis on whether armed groups can be integrated into state-building initiatives and whether they can play a constructive role with other key actors.

Pathways for Peace

Pathways for Peace PDF Author: United Nations
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 1464811865
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 415

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Book Description
Violent conflicts today are complex and increasinglyprotracted, involving more nonstate groups and regionaland international actors. It is estimated that by 2030—thehorizon set by the international community for achievingthe Sustainable Development Goals—more than half ofthe world’s poor will be living in countries affected byhigh levels of violence. Information and communicationtechnology, population movements, and climate changeare also creating shared risks that must be managed atboth national and international levels.Pathways for Peace is a joint United Nations–WorldBank Group study that originates from the convictionthat the international community’s attention musturgently be refocused on prevention. A scaled-upsystem for preventive action would save betweenUS$5 billion and US$70 billion per year, which couldbe reinvested in reducing poverty and improving thewell-being of populations.The study aims to improve the way in which domesticdevelopment processes interact with security, diplomacy,mediation, and other efforts to prevent conflictsfrom becoming violent. It stresses the importance ofgrievances related to exclusion—from access to power,natural resources, security and justice, for example—thatare at the root of many violent conflicts today.Based on a review of cases in which prevention hasbeen successful, the study makes recommendations forcountries facing emerging risks of violent conflict aswell as for the international community. Developmentpolicies and programs must be a core part of preventiveefforts; when risks are high or building up, inclusivesolutions through dialogue, adapted macroeconomicpolicies, institutional reform, and redistributive policiesare required. Inclusion is key, and preventive actionneeds to adopt a more people-centered approach thatincludes mainstreaming citizen engagement. Enhancingthe participation of women and youth in decisionmaking is fundamental to sustaining peace, as well aslong-term policies to address the aspirations of womenand young people.

Trapped in the Middle?

Trapped in the Middle? PDF Author: José Antonio Alonso
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192594230
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 369

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Book Description
There is growing evidence that overcoming the low-income threshold and reaching middle-income status is not sufficient for countries to converge toward high-income levels. Few middle-income countries have successfully completed that transit in recent decades, with the majority remaining in the middle-income group, and so facing what has come to be called "the middle-income trap". It is therefore essential to explore whether middle-income traps really exist and, if they do, how these pitfalls are manifested, what their causes are, what economic policy measures are required to escape from them, and what international cooperation can do to support this process. Trapped in the Middle? brings together diverse perspectives on these important questions, providing new evidence and analytical approaches to enrich the debate on the domestic and international challenges faced by a significant number of middle-income countries, in which over three-quarters of the global population live.

The Routledge Handbook on the Middle East Economy

The Routledge Handbook on the Middle East Economy PDF Author: Hassan Hakimian
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351596683
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 405

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Book Description
This Handbook captures the salient features of Middle Eastern economies and critically examines the public policy responses required to address the challenges and opportunities across the region. Bringing together wide-ranging perspectives from carefully selected and renowned subject specialists, the collection fills a gap in this relatively young and growing academic field. Combining discussion of theory and empirical evidence, the book maps out the evolution of Middle East economics as a field within area studies and applied development economics. Presented in six thematic sections, the book enables the reader to gain a comprehensive understanding of the region’s main economic themes and issues: • Growth and development in comparative perspectives • Labour force and human development • Natural resources, resource curse and trade • Poverty, inequality and social policy • Institutions and transition to democracy • Corruption, conflict and refugees Providing an overview of the principal economic problems, policies and performances relating to the countries in the Middle East and North Africa region, this collection will be a key resource for upper-level undergraduates, graduates and scholars with an interest in Middle East economics, applied development economics, development studies and area studies.

Expectations and Aspirations

Expectations and Aspirations PDF Author: Safaa El Tayeb El-Kogali
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN: 1464812357
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 491

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Book Description
Education, which has been at the heart of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s history and civilizations for centuries, has a large untapped potential to contribute to human capital, well-being, and wealth. The region has invested heavily in education for decades, but it has not been able to reap the benefits of its investments. Despite a series of reforms, MENA has remained stuck in a low-learning, low-skills level.Expectations and Aspirations: A New Framework for Education in the Middle East and North Africa identifies four key sets of tensions that are holding back education in the region: credentials and skills, discipline and inquiry, control and autonomy, and tradition and modernity. These tensions are shaped by society and are reflected in classrooms. If they are not addressed, MENA will continue to operate at a level below its potential. This report outlines a new framework with a three-pronged approach that can help address these tensions and unleash the potential of education in MENA:• A concerted push for learning that starts early for all children regardless of background, with qualified and motivated educators, and that leverages technology, uses modern approaches, and monitors learning outcomes• A stronger pull for skills by all stakeholders in the labor market and society that involves coordinated multisystem reforms within and beyond the education system• A new pact for education at the national level with a unified vision, shared responsibilities, and accountabilities. Education is not just the responsibility of the education system—it is everyone’s business.The push, pull, and pact framework offers an opportunity for MENA to move forward to reclaim its heritage of a learned region and to meet the expectations and aspirations of its people. The current situation in MENA requires a renewed focus on education, not just as a national priority for economic growth and social development, but as a national emergency for stability, peace, and prosperity.