The South African government should weigh its decision carefully whether to increase value added tax (VAT) as indirect taxes fall most heavily on the poor and the middle class.
Rather than hold on to the idea of equality of opportunity, it might be more accurate to say that we don’t really support it because it comes at too high a price.
One reason for widening inequality is the decline of unions, which in turn is partly the result of the gradual elimination of the “working class” from our vocabulary.
One of the great issues of our day is inequality. Whether it is the Greek debt crisis, anxieties about Sydney real estate prices, the continuing resonance of “Occupy” and cries about the “1%”, or the publishing…
Evidence on the ability, or lack thereof, of children to rise above the economic status of their parents shines light on the continued persistence of inequality, including in South Africa.
There is no one perfect package for alleviating poverty, but there is agreement on what the elements should be. Combination and sequence of interventions varies, depending on context and beneficiaries.
Nigeria has been among the fastest growing economies this past decade but only 25% of the country’s population has benefited from this growth, leaving the majority trapped in the informal sector.
South Africa’s inequality levels are stark. The rich are super rich, the poor very poor. There’s a gaping hole in the middle and this is the greatest threat to stability.
Global coverage of the Nepal earthquake focused issues of preparedness and political instability but missed the systemic, historical inequities that made the disaster so devastating.
British orgainsed labour has remained relevant despite the onslaught suffered during the 1980s, but it lacks the institutional structure that would make the future secure.