Category Archives: economic development

The Impact of the Pandemic on Developing Countries

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August 3, 2020 — The Covid-19 pandemic has had differentiated impacts across countries. This is true even among the set of Emerging Market and Developing Economies (EMDEs), which share the disadvantages of more poverty, less adequate health care, and fewer jobs that can be done remotely, compared to Advanced Economies.

Differentiation across continents

Surprisingly, the rates of infection and death have so far been lower in most EMDEs than in the US and Europe, as pointed out by Pinelopi Goldberg and Tristan Reed, and by Raghuram  Rajan. Undercounting is undoubtedly massive, however. Furthermore, the situation is evolving rapidly. read more

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Inequality Falls Globally, Even as it Rises Within-Country

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January 16, 2018 — There are lots of measures of inequality.  If we are interested only in income distribution within the United States, it doesn’t matter much which one we look at:  They all show rising inequality, as noted in my preceding blogpost.   But when we look at inequality internationally, which measure we look at makes all the difference.

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Modi, Sisi & Jokowi: Three New Leaders Face the Challenge of Food & Fuel Subsidies

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In few policy areas does good economics seem to conflict so dramatically with good politics as in the practice of subsidies to food and energy.  Economics textbooks explain that these subsidies are lose-lose policies. In the political world that can sound like an ivory tower abstraction.   But the issue of unaffordable subsidies happens to be front and center politically now, in a number of places around the world.   Three major new leaders in particular are facing this challenge:  Sisi in Egypt, Jokowi in Indonesia, and Modi in India. read more

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