World Bank 'has aided land grabs'
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- Written by Tom Bawden
- Category: Analysis
The World Bank has been accused of facilitating land grabs in some of the world's poorest countries after a raft of formal complaints from communities affected by projects it has financed.
ITUCs reaction to World Bank Report on Jobs
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- Written by ITUC
- Category: Analysis
Read the press release
World Development Report 2013 on Jobs
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- Category: Documents
Jobs are the cornerstone of economic and social development ... they are transformational ... important role for a strong private sector ... jobs empower women to invest more in their children ...
The Human Rights Approach to Social Protection
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- Written by Sepulveda & Nyst
- Category: Documents
The Special Rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council gives her analysis and her arguments as regards a human rights framework for social protection.
Dictator"s Riches stolen at home, but banked in the West
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- Written by Stefanie Ostfeld
- Category: Analysis
(From Global Financial Integrity)
Corrupt dictators who take bribes and loot their treasuries are rightly condemned by governments and other observers in developed countries. But the extent to which this plundering is aided by lax and weakly enforced money laundering laws in the West has too often escaped notice. It is remarkably easy for these criminals to hide their identities behind anonymous shell companies and bank secrecy in order to bring their dirty money into the United States and Europe.
Read more: Dictator"s Riches stolen at home, but banked in the West
Redistribution: a dirty word ...
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- Written by Ann Hoillingshead
- Category: Analysis
Redistribution is a dirty word. It’s become something of a catch phrase for the Tea Party and Libertarians. In 2008 the McCain campaign sought to unfavorably label Obama a “redistributor” in speeches and attack ads. But perhaps this is not a recent development. Libertarians point out that many of our early presidents were also suspicious of redistributionist policies. President Grover Cleveland, for example, vetoed a bill in 1887 that would have given $10,000 in aid to Texas farmers struggling with a drought. He rationalized that he did not believe it is the duty of the government to relieve “individual suffering which is in no manner properly related to the public service or benefit.”
Trade and Development Report 2012
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- Written by UNCTAD
- Category: Documents
UNCTAD speaks of a fragile recovery, of counterproductive policies that can make it difficult for developing countries to sustain their own growth.
The EU is on the brink of a deep recession ... it is trying to export its way out of the crisis, while the 'golden rule' is counterproductive. the 'structural reforms' are all too often coded language for labour market liberalization including wage cuts, a weakening of collective bargaining and greater wage differentiation across sectors and firms ... the reasoning is flawed ...
World Wealth Report 2012
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- Written by Allianz
- Category: Analysis
Private wealth larger than public debt ... and how Germany profits from European policies ...
Mekong Region: Universal social protection and essential services
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- Category: Research
In this contribution, I will be looking at the social situation in the Mekong region in order to reflect on the social demands that might be put forward in the future. I will therefore analyse the international discourse on social policies and see to what extent this offers an adequate framework for social movements to work in. In the last section, I will propose some basic principles which can usefully be integrated into social demands and on which social movements will have to decide. As a conclusion, I want to state the huge transformative potential of universal social protection.
Read more: Mekong Region: Universal social protection and essential services
Universal Health Coverage
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- Written by The Lancet
- Category: Analysis
"…….Margaret Chan, Director General of the World Health Organization WHO, has stated that "Universal Health Coverage is the single most powerful concept that public health has to offer."
In this themed issue of The Lancet, the first of three Series papers explores the evidence on the links between expansions in coverage and population health outcomes. The second paper looks at the political and economic dimensions of the transition to universal health coverage, and the third examines nine low-income and lower-middle-income countries in Africa and Asia that have implemented national health insurance reforms. Also, a Viewpoint calls for continued progress and argues for a large public sector role in health systems reform.
Website: http://bit.ly/PA24Ye
From 2003-2011, Collective Illicit Financial Flows into and out of Greece Total US$509 Billion
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- Written by Raymond Baker
- Category: Analysis
The Greek economy lost US$261 billion to crime, corruption, and tax evasion from 2003-2011, Global Financial Integrity (GFI) Director Raymond Baker told Der Spiegel in an exclusive interview (English version here) published yesterday in the German news magazine. Interestingly, while Greece experienced heavy illicit outflows for 6 of the first 7 years in that time series, Greece experienced massive inflows of illicit money in 2010 and 2011.
