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
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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…)
Chart of the WeekThe Threat of Inequality of Opportunity
By Shekhar Aiyar and Christian Ebeke
There are clashing views on the relationship between income inequality and growth. (more…)
The Economic Cost of Devaluing “Women’s Work”
Kristalina Georgieva, Cristian Alonso, Era Dabla-Norris, and Kalpana Kochhar
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As much as half of the world’s work is unpaid. And most of it is done by women. (more…)
Chart of the WeekVoting on Gender Parity
Electoral violence occurs in many African countries. Tragically, thousands are killed and displaced during election cycles on the continent. (more…)
Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean: A Stalling Recovery
Economic activity in Latin America and the Caribbean remains sluggish. Real GDP is expected to grow by 0.6 percent in 2019—the slowest rate since 2016—before rising to 2.3 percent in 2020. (more…)
To Reduce Inequality, Employ Young People
Burcu Hacibedel and Priscilla Muthoora
Rising economic growth has reduced inequality in low-income and emerging market countries over the years. (more…)