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131. Inequality in the Twenty-First Century: A Review on Rockstars of the Realm

Author:
Martyna Berenika Linartas
Publication Date:
01-2018
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Postgraduate Program on Sustainable Development and Social Inequalities in the Andean Region (trAndeS)
Abstract:
Not only has been economic inequality on the rise, but also the research agenda on inequality has moved decisively from the fringes to the center of policy and academic interest. This new concern and concentration in respect to this topic, data records, and methodological approaches have given rise to a vast amount of literature. It is for this reason that I review the most important recent works engaging with the origins of economic inequality – a debate which remains highly controversial. The usual categorization to explain the different storytelling – “to be or not to be neoliberal” – seems inappropriate. In this review on “the rockstars of the realm” (Thomas Piketty, Anthony Atkinson, Branko Milanovic and Walter Scheidel), I argue that the question and reason behind different approaches is instead: politics or the economy, which is the master that defines the space for action? The gradually established allegory of “the mirrored hourglass of inequality” illustrates the salience of this cleavage.
Topic:
International Political Economy, Political Economy, Capitalism, Inequality, Neoliberalism, and Economic Inequality
Political Geography:
Global Focus

132. Do Trade and Investment (Agreements) Foster Development or Inequality?

Author:
Pierre Kohler and Francis Cripps
Publication Date:
10-2018
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University
Abstract:
This paper proposes to revisit the debate on trade and investment agreements (TIAs), development and inequality, looking at the role of Global Value Chains (GVCs) and trans- national corporations (TNCs). It first presents stylized facts about trade and investment (agreements), declining global economic growth and rising inequality under the latest round of globalization. It then provides a long-run perspective on the mixed blessings of external opening, summarizing some key contributions of the mainstream literature, which are converging with long-standing research findings of more heterodox economists, and the eroding consensus today. Based on this stock-taking, it takes a fresh critical look at the TIAs-GVCs-TNCs nexus and their impact. Using data on value-added in trade and new firm-level data from the consolidated financial statements of the top 2000 TNCs going back to 1995, it examines whether the fragmentation of production along GVCs led to positive structural change or rather stimulated unsustainable trends in extractive and FIRE sectors. It then turns to the role of TNC-driven GVCs as a vehicle for economic concentration. Finally, it presents evidence linking TIAs and their correlates to rising inequality. Key findings include the fact that the ratio of top 2000 TNCs profits over revenues increased by 58 percent between 1995 and 2015. Moreover, the rise in top 2000 TNCs profits accounts for 69 percent of the 2.5 percentage points decline in the global labour income share between 1995 and 2015, with the correlation coefficient between annual changes in both variables as high as 0.82. The paper concludes by calling for a less ideological policy debate on TIAs, which acknowledges the mixed blessings of external financial and trade opening, especially their negative distributional impact and destabilizing macro-financial feedback effects, which both call for policy intervention. As an alternative to short-sighted protectionism, it further discusses possible options for anticipating undesirable effects arising from TIAs (e.g. rising carbon emissions, economic instability, inequality, etc.) and addressing those in TIAs themselves.
Topic:
Inequality, Investment, Trade, and transnationalism
Political Geography:
Global Focus

133. HeForShe #GetFree Tour Columbia: Gender Equality in STEM and Academia

Author:
Elizabeth Nyamayaro, Mary Boyce, Helen Lu, Carol Mason, and Dennis A. Mitchell
Publication Date:
10-2018
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Columbia University World Leaders Forum
Abstract:
A discussion on women and equality in academia with a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in conjunction with the UN's global HeForShe movement for gender equality.
Topic:
Gender Issues, Science and Technology, United Nations, Women, and Inequality
Political Geography:
New York, United Nations, and Global Focus

134. Discussing Climate Change Action with Former Swiss Ambassador Therese Adam

Author:
Therese Adam and Meagan Torello
Publication Date:
09-2018
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations
Institution:
School of Diplomacy and International Relations, Seton Hall University
Abstract:
A conversation with former Swiss ambassador Therese Adam.
Topic:
Climate Change, Diplomacy, Gender Issues, Inequality, and Economy
Political Geography:
Europe, Switzerland, and Global Focus

135. Inequality in the 21st century: A critical analysis of Piketty’s work

Author:
Nadia Garbellini
Publication Date:
01-2018
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET)
Abstract:
Thomas Piketty’s (2014) Capital in the XXI Century aims to analyze distributions of income and wealth and their determinants, in a set of developed countries from the nineteenth century to the present. The objective is a bold one, made even more so by the fact that Piketty pursues it not only from a theoretical, but also, from an empirical point of view. The task is particularly impressive not only because of the enormous effort required in collecting and organising data, but also because the work entails attaching a deterministic interpretation to facts and figures from radically different countries over a time span that covers almost two centuries, thereby forcing comparison between numbers coming from clearly incommensurable contexts. These difficulties are not lost to Piketty, who states that “[w]ithout precisely defined sources, methods, and concepts, it is possible to see everything and its opposite.” (Piketty, 2014, pp.2-3) This study argues that the empirical ‘methods and concepts’ adopted by Piketty are not always consistent with those coming from his reference theoretical framework, nor from National Accounts (United Nations, 2009).
Topic:
Economics, Inequality, Income Inequality, Economic Growth, and Capital
Political Geography:
Global Focus

136. Monitoring Law Enforcement Agencies: A Guide for Ombuds Institutions

Author:
Nazli Yildirim Schierkolk
Publication Date:
12-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Razumkov Centre
Abstract:
This Series of Monitoring Products is designed to facilitate the work of National Human Rights (Ombuds) Institutions on monitoring the security sector. The series provides guidance on relevant best practices and may also be used for relevant capacity development trainings. DCAF has also developed a number of products to assist Ombuds institutions on both broad and highly specific oversight and policy challenges, particularly in terms of gender equality and human rights monitoring within the armed forces.
Topic:
Security, Gender Issues, Human Rights, Law Enforcement, and Inequality
Political Geography:
Global Focus

137. Guide pour les Femmes sur la Réforme du Secteur de la Sécurité: Programme de Formation

Author:
Kathrin Quesada, Megan Bastick, Heather Huhtanen, Carrie O'Neill, and Kristin Valasek
Publication Date:
01-2017
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF)
Abstract:
This Training Curriculum builds the knowledge and skills of women from civil society to participate in security sector reform (SSR), and conduct advocacy related to the security sector. It is a companion to A Women’s Guide to Security Sector Reform, published in 2013 by DCAF and Inclusive Security. The curriculum is aimed at experienced facilitators and trainers who design workshops and trainings for women and civil society organizations wishing to engage in SSR processes. The Training Curriculum addresses the concepts of security, the security sector, SSR, gender and gender equality, and the links between them. It builds skills for planning, research, coalition building, developing recommendations, and advocacy around the security sector, as well as monitoring and evaluating those efforts. Given that women are often excluded from SSR processes, the curriculum serves as a tool to train and support women and CSOs of all types to participate in dialogue and decision-making to create a security sector that is more effective, accountable and inclusive. The Training Curriculum includes 17 modules that are practical, field-tested, and grounded in adult learning methodologies. They include case studies, exercises, videos, and role plays to make the material accessible to a range of learning styles and knowledge levels. Sample agendas and training guidance are included in the Introduction and each module can be adapted to suit specific training needs.
Topic:
Security, Civil Society, Gender Issues, Reform, Inequality, and Training
Political Geography:
Geneva and Global Focus

138. Making Tax Vanish: How the Practices of Consumer Goods MNC RB Show that the International Tax System is Broken

Author:
Oliver Pearce
Publication Date:
07-2017
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
Big business is able to take advantage of loopholes in global tax laws and avoid tax on a massive scale. This deprives governments around the world of the money they need to tackle poverty and inequality. It means there is less for them to invest in healthcare, education and jobs. This report examines the failings of the global tax system that facilitate mass tax avoidance. It looks at one example of a multinational company (MNC) that Oxfam thinks is not paying its fair share. It calls on governments and business to implement the reforms that are needed to stop MNCs from avoiding paying their fair share of tax in the future.
Topic:
International Cooperation, Governance, Inequality, and Tax Systems
Political Geography:
Global Focus

139. The Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index: A New Global Ranking of Governments Based on What They are Doing to Tackle the Gap Between Rich and Poor

Author:
Max Lawson and Matthew Martin
Publication Date:
07-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
In 2015, the leaders of 193 governments promised to reduce inequality as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Without reducing inequality, meeting the SDG to eliminate poverty will be impossible. Now Development Finance International and Oxfam have produced the first index to measure the commitment of governments to reducing the gap between the rich and the poor. The Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index uses a new database of indicators covering 152 countries, which measures government action on social spending, tax and labour rights – three areas found to be critical to reducing inequality. This first version of the CRI Index is work in progress, and DFI and Oxfam welcome comments and additions. We find that there is an urgent need for coordinated global investment to significantly improve the data on inequality and policies to reduce it, and much greater concerted action by governments across the world to reduce the gap between rich and poor.
Topic:
Education, Health Care Policy, Inequality, Sustainable Development Goals, Tax Systems, and Land
Political Geography:
Global Focus

140. High-Priced Medicines and Lack of Needs-Driven Innovation: A Global Crisis that Fuels Inequality

Author:
Oxfam Publishing
Publication Date:
09-2017
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Oxfam Publishing
Abstract:
On 14 September 14 2016, the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines publicly released its final report entitled ‘Promoting innovation and access to health technologies’. One year after the release of the landmark report and building upon Oxfam’s September 2016 assessment, this paper provides an update on where the HLP report and its recommendations stand. It assesses the level of implementation by countries and institutions – especially the UN and the World Health Organization – and recommends ways to use the report to improve both innovation and access to medicines.
Topic:
Health, International Cooperation, United Nations, World Health Organization, Inequality, Innovation, Humanitarian Crisis, and Medicine
Political Geography:
Global Focus