Some economists have touted the rising middle class as a panacea for Africa’s challenges. But a more realistic diagnosis of what makes up a middle class is needed.
Last week I joined 8,500 Australians on the charity challenge to live below the extreme poverty line, spending just $2 a day on food for five days. It was tough and my diet was far from complete.
Indigenous people in Australia and New Zealand, despite the distance separating them and varying histories, have one disturbing issue in common: poor health.
Sub-Saharan Africa has seen widespread economic growth since 1995. But increased agricultural productivity is needed to translate that growth into poverty reduction.
Derek Yu, University of the Western Cape; Atoko Kasongo, University of the Western Cape, and Mariana Moses, University of the Western Cape
South Africa’s labour market suffers from high unemployment. Reform of the education system may provide the only long-term sustainable solution to the problem.
Plans to stop universal credit payments in favour of a ‘national living wage’ will not address the long-standing poverty of many people in paid employment.
Economic growth is a necessary condition for development. But it can only pass the sufficient condition test if growth translates into high-earning jobs. Ghana’s recent history illustrates this.
The Flint water crisis has left people across the country wondering if lead poisoning is a problem in their community. But it’s very hard to find out how widespread this problem is.
Astrid R.N. Haas, London School of Economics and Political Science
To achieve its ambition of becoming a middle income country, Uganda must accelerate the movement of workers from agriculture and the informal sector into modern industries.