Financial Times (21.03.2016) David Cameron and George Osborne have repeatedly declared sinc their election victory in May that the Conservatives will govern as a “one nation” party serving all of the British people. Ten months into their second term, however, many Tory MPs feel this commitment is being seriously undermined by Mr Osborne’s position on welfare, especially as regards those of working age.
Europa (16.03.2016) Working age’ is usually defined as 15 to 64 years. This definition is for example used for the ‘old-age dependency ratio’, with people aged 65 and over being labelled ‘dependent’. However, almost five million people over 65 were in employment in 2014, a remarkable increase of 48% from 3.3 million in 2004 to 4.9 million in 2014. The employment rate of people aged 65-69 has reached 11.7%; for the entire population over the age of 65, the employment rate reaches 5.5%.
effective-states.org (22.03.2016) For the tenth anniversary of MNREGA, our Research Director, Professor Kunal Sen, evaluates whether MNREGA has achieved its broader development objectives. He also looks at why the programme’s implementation has been challenging, and what the implications of weak implementation have been for its objectives.
ilo.org (23.03.2016) A minimum package of social protection benefits for workers is a productive investment for sustainable and inclusive economic growth in Africa, stated the ILO at the African Union Ministerial Session on Social Development, Labour and Employment in Addis Ababa.
L'Express (18.03.2016) Pas de concurrence, ni d'exigence de rentabilité... Pourtant, le service public se préoccupe de plus en plus de ses rapports avec ses publics. Illustration avec l'un des champions de la "relation usager": l'assurance-retraite.
El País (21.03.2016) Son jóvenes, tienen un trabajo estable y dominan otro idioma distinto a su lengua natal. Muchos de ellos salieron de España en busca de mejores oportunidades laborales y ahora, una vez superado el reto, quieren regresar. “El clima o la comida no son argumentos de peso. La verdadera razón es emocional”. Diego Ruiz del Árbol, ingeniero informático de 36 años, acaba de cumplir nueve en Berlín. Allí le acompañan su mujer y sus dos hijos y pese a ello ha sentido la soledad.
Reuters (20.03.2016) European lenders have made important progress in talks with Greece on tax and pension reforms that are part of a package of measures Athens must adopt to win new loans and debt relief, a European Commission spokesperson said on Sunday.
The Wall Street Journal (17.03.2016) the health-care law that is at issue in the case. To soften the impact of out-of-pocket costs under Obamacare, the law requires insurers to reduce certain payments for individuals whose incomes are up to 250% of the federal poverty level if they purchase a “silver” plan through one of the insurance marketplaces. The law also says that insurers are to be repaid for the discounts.
sciencedirect.com (dec 2015) The End TB Strategy places great emphasis on increasing social protection and poverty alleviation programmes. However, the role of social protection on controlling tuberculosis has not been examined fully. We analysed the association between social protection spending and tuberculosis prevalence, incidence, and mortality globally.
Solomon Star (18.03.2016) Rising inequality threatens to derail, from the start, successful implementation of the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Asia-Pacific region. Stronger, more equitable social protection will be critical in overcoming these challenges.
