We’ll Live to 100 – How Can We Afford It?

We’ll Live to 100 – How Can We Afford It? World Economic Forum. May 26, 2017.

This paper addresses the challenges facing retirement systems, including the impact of ageing societies, and quantifies the size of the savings shortfall. It provides recommendations for system design and actions for policy-makers to ensure we can adjust to societies in which living to 100 is commonplace and affordable for all. The paper is accompanied by the Case Studies in Retirement System Reform which presents 12 examples of pension reform from governments, pension funds and companies around the world. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 24 pages, 1.68 MB].

Views on National Economies Mixed as Many Countries Continue to Struggle

Views on National Economies Mixed as Many Countries Continue to Struggle. Pew Research Center. Margaret Vice. August 9, 2016.

Almost a decade after the global financial crisis rattled national economies, many in the world feel their respective countries’ economies remain weak.The survey reveals a bleak picture in parts of Europe, with more than eight-in-ten in Greece, France and Spain describing their country’s economic situation as bad. This gloom is not shared by all in the European Union, however – most Swedes, Germans and Dutch say their economy is doing well. And in China, India and Australia, views are mostly positive. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 13 pages, 151.86 KB].

‘Mothers Schools’ to Working With Police: Women Prevent Violent Extremism

‘Mothers Schools’ to Working With Police: Women Prevent Violent Extremism. U.S. Institute of Peace. Viola Gienger. March 18, 2015
The helplessness pours out of a crying mother in India, so silenced by patriarchal traditions that she’s afraid to speak up about the risk that her son might be drawn to radicalism. Continents away in Nigeria, police officers are ashamed to admit the poor working conditions that weaken their ability and motivation to protect their communities. The seemingly disparate scenes are elements of the same puzzle – how to combat violent extremism. And in both countries, local women activists are putting the pieces together. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[HTML format, various paging].

EU Politics Could Look to Multiethnic India for Strategies

EU Politics Could Look to Multiethnic India for Strategies. YaleGlobal. Pallavi Aiyar. November 11, 2014.

Visions of a united Europe are under strain as anti-EU parties have made political gains in France, Sweden, the UK and other nations. Although the European Union is often thought of as a “United States of Europe,” journalist Pallavi Aiyar argues that the EU more resembles chaotic India. “India, like the European Union, is the antithesis of the 19th-century European conception of the ‘nation state’ according to which a single religion, a single language and a common enemy, are the only ‘natural’ basis for a sustainable political entity,” she writes. Protracted debate and sluggish consensus building are existential demands for India and Europe, not just some annoying character flaw.” India’s political reliance on large multi-party coalition politics could offer an answer to the challenges facing the EU. Good governance requires a strong political identity, and Aiyar concludes that success for India and the EU could serve as a model for inclusive political configurations worldwide. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[HTML format, various paging].

Monopoly and Micro-Irrigation in Smallholder Water Markets

Monopoly and Micro-Irrigation in Smallholder Water Markets. RAND Corporation. Benjamin P. Bryant. October 30, 2013.

Many rural agricultural areas around the world are facing severely depleted groundwater resources, which farmers rely on to increase agricultural productivity through irrigation. If groundwater in these areas is to be sustainably utilized, total withdrawals must be diminished from their current levels, which may cause a welfare loss on the part of farmers and their communities. The level of welfare loss, if any, and its distribution will depend which of a wide array of policies are implemented to curtail water use. In theory, the policies may take many forms, including direct and indirect rationing, direct and indirect marginal pricing, tradable water rights, and subsidizing water efficient technologies such as microirrigation. The research contributes to a policy debate motivated by the situation in North Gujarat, India, where a mix of recently enacted policies has somewhat helped to improve the groundwater situation, but in an inefficient manner. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 198 pages, 10.2 MB].

Exports No Longer Sole Path to Economic Rescue

Exports No Longer Sole Path to Economic Rescue. YaleGlobal. Will Hickey. October 24, 2013.

The global economy is in flux. Emerging economies await signals of an improving U.S. economy and for Federal Reserve plans to pull back from bond purchases on the order of $85 billion per month. Anticipating an end to those capital flows, investors began withdrawing capital from emerging markets, prompting currencies to fall in nations like India and Indonesia, explains Will Hickey. Reliance on exports no longer offers an easy answer for the emerging economies as the United States and many European countries with aging populations and high debt reduce spending. Hickey urges countries to address corruption, education systems mismatched with job needs, outdated infrastructure, bloated pubic sectors and bureaucracies, all of which can stifle innovation. Good economic policy builds upon education and the use of skills in adding value to products and services. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[HTML format, various paging].

US and Iranian Strategic Competition: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Central Asia

US and Iranian Strategic Competition: Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Central Asia. Center fro Strategic & International Studies. Anthony H. Cordesman et al. June 11, 2013.

U.S. and Iranian competition in Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Pakistan has taken on renewed significance amid recent elections in Pakistan, and the upcoming Transition in Afghanistan. According to the report, rising anxiety over the withdrawal of U.S. forces, ongoing regional instability, and continued tension over Iran’s nuclear program contribute to escalating competition between the US-Iranian competition in Afghanistan, Central Asia, and Pakistan. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 73 pages, 1.79 MB].