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Figure of the week: Might a few outlier economies explain Africa’s abnormally high inequality?


On Thursday, July 7, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) revised its economic outlook for South Africa. Despite “considerable economic and social progress” since 1994, the IMF report cited high income inequality, among other factors, in its projection of slow growth and increased unemployment in the medium term. Earlier this year, in the Brookings Africa Growth Initiative’s Foresight Africa 2016, we explored this pressing problem—high income inequality—across the continent. The initial takeaway was that sub-Saharan Africa has greater in-country income inequality than other developing countries around the world. However, after separating seven outlier economies—Angola, the Central African Republic, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, Comoros, and South Africa—we noted that income inequality, measured by the Gini coefficient, in the rest of the region actually mirrors the rest of the developing world, which currently stands at 0.39. All seven outlier economies have Gini coefficients above 0.55, a level reached by only four other countries worldwide: Suriname, Haiti, Colombia, and Honduras. 

It is important to explore precisely why this disparity exists. Notably, sub-Saharan Africa is not only an outlier in income inequality, but also in the relationship between economic growth and poverty reduction. Generally, in the developing world, every 1 percent of growth reduces poverty 4 percent. In sub-Saharan Africa, however, every 1 percent of growth only reduces poverty by 3 percent. In Foresight Africa 2016, Brookings Nonresident Senior Fellow Haroon Bhorat suggests that this disparity may be because of the commodity booms that have sustained growth periods in African economies, which bring extraordinary returns to capital but limited job growth. Alternatively, these commodity booms may have accompanied a fall in manufacturing output; growth is thus concentrated in the low-productivity services sector. In any case, this graph forces us to consider exactly what type of structural transformation is necessary for continued economic growth and acknowledge that inequality in sub-Saharan Africa might require different solutions in different countries.

For a more in-depth discussion on this issue, see Foresight Africa 2016 and Bhorat’s discussion of African inequality in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Omid Abrishamchian contributed to this post.

Authors

  • Mariama Sow
      
 
 




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What might the drone strike against Mullah Mansour mean for the counterinsurgency endgame?


An American drone strike that killed leader of the Afghan Taliban Mullah Akhtar Mohammed Mansour may seem like a fillip for the United States’ ally, the embattled government of Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani. But as Vanda Felbab-Brown writes in a new op-ed for The New York Times, it is unlikely to improve Kabul’s immediate national security problems—and may create more difficulties than it solves.

The White House has argued that because Mansour became opposed to peace talks with the Afghan government, removing him became necessary to facilitate new talks. Yet, as Vanda writes in the op-ed, “the notion that the United States can drone-strike its way through the leadership of the Afghan Taliban until it finds an acceptable interlocutor seems optimistic, at best.”

[T]he notion that the United States can drone-strike its way through the leadership of the Afghan Taliban until it finds an acceptable interlocutor seems optimistic, at best.

Mullah Mansour's death does not inevitably translate into substantial weakening of the Taliban's operational capacity or a reprieve from what is shaping up to be a bloody summer in Afghanistan. Any fragmentation of the Taliban to come does not ipso facto imply stronger Afghan security forces or a reduction of violent conflict. Even if Mansour's demise eventually turns out to be an inflection point in the conflict and the Taliban does seriously fragment, such an outcome may only add complexity to the conflict. A lot of other factors, including crucially Afghan politics, influence the capacity of the Afghan security forces and their battlefield performance.

Nor will Mansour’s death motivate the Taliban to start negotiating. That did not happen when it was revealed last July’s the group’s previous leader and founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar, had died in 2013. To the contrary, the Taliban’s subsequent military push has been its strongest in a decade—with its most violent faction, the Haqqani network, striking the heart of Kabul. Mansour had empowered the violent Haqqanis following Omar’s death as a means to reconsolidate the Taliban, and their continued presence portends future violence. Mansour's successor, Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s former minister of justice who loved to issue execution orders, is unlikely to be in a position to negotiate (if he even wants to) for a considerable time as he seeks to gain control and create legitimacy within the movement.

The United States has sent a strong signal to Pakistan, which continues to deny the presence of the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network within its borders. Motivated by a fear of provoking the groups against itself, Pakistan continues to show no willingness to take them on, despite the conditions on U.S. aid.

Disrupting the group’s leadership by drone-strike decapitation is tempting militarily. But it can be too blunt an instrument, since negotiations and reconciliation ultimately depend on political processes. In decapitation targeting, the U.S. leadership must think critically about whether the likely successor will be better or worse for the counterinsurgency endgame.

Authors

      
 
 




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How might COVID-19 affect the global economy?

As COVID-19 continues to spread around the world, Warwick J. McKibbin joined us from his home in Australia to discuss how the novel coronavirus may disrupt the global economy. McKibbin, a nonresident senior fellow at Brookings, authored a recent report outlining seven different scenarios of how COVID-19 might evolve and the implications each scenario would…

       




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How the new immigration rules might threaten our national security

With his executive action suspending the admission of refugees to the United States and temporarily halting the entry of citizens from a variety of Muslim countries, President Donald Trump made a quick down payment on a key campaign promise. He also set the United States on a disastrous course—one that threatens to weaken our national…

       




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Don't judge a supermarket for empty shelves, it might be fighting food waste

Sorry, shoppers, but empty supermarket shelves could be a good thing.




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President's executive order might open national parks to logging

It is a brave new world of "reducing vegetation" and "fuel reduction" and a lotta logging.




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Whitening Clouds To Stop Climate Change Might Actually Increase Warming

One of the more invasive geoengineering methods that's been proposed to avert global warming is spraying clouds with seawater to whiten them, reflecting solar radiation. New research presented at the European Geosciences Union meeting urges caution




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That fake fur might actually be real

A new report from the UK government calls on retailers to do a better job at identifying what they're selling.




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Your next home might be built by robots, and you will never know

They are already doing this in Sweden.




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2010 Detroit Auto Show: Toyota FT-CH Hybrid Concept Might Join Prius Family

Photo: Michael Graham RichardPrius Might Become a Family, 8 New Hybrid Models ComingMaybe the rumors that have been floating around for a long time were true... Toyota said during its press event at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show that they are considering




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Another one bites the dust: Seattle's Edith Macefield House might have just 90 days

I could write this post in my sleep, it is such a tired playbook that happens so often in real estate development.




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Who was the greenest president? 12 environmental groups are polled and the results might surprise you

Corporate Knights Magazine asks the question and gets a different result than we did.




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Etsy might not change the world, but it's the best we've got for now

The shopping world is rife with corruption and exploitation, and while it would be lovely for companies to mend their evil ways, that's highly unlikely. In the meantime, Etsy provides a decent alternative for conscientious shoppers.




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Miami-Dade might move on Chinese bendy buses

Oh, I am sorry. I meant "trackless trains."




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Don't eat on the street in Florence or you might get fined €500

A controversial new ordinance tries to deal with another consequence of mass tourism.




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Can't stand a standing desk? The New HOVR might get you moving

It's clever, cheap, burns calories and keeps the blood flowing and heart pumping.




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Dhaka, Manila & Jakarta Worst Climate-Affected Asian Mega-Cities - Hits Closer to Home Than You Might Think

Want to know which cities in Asia are going to get really whacked by climate change, and which ones have the greatest ability to adapt to it? Well, WWF has just released a new report that ranks 11 of them




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Does shipping container architecture make sense? This hotel in London might

Because shipping containers are designed to move and these ones might have to.




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Ontario might get a 400MW pumped storage station five times the height of Niagara Falls

While grid-scale liquid metal batteries might be a more exciting technology, good old pumped hydro storage is one of the ways we can store power from intermittent sources (like solar & wind) or shift supply around (from the night to peak use).




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Tiny treehopper is one of the mightiest mothers

Meet one of the insect world's most protective moms.




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Volvo's 360c is a rethink of how autonomous vehicles might be used

They are going to be a lot more than just cars that drive themselves.




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The smart home may not be a thing, but the smart kitchen might be

Here's one room in the house that might benefit from a bit more tech.




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Pittsburgh's mayor wants to 'Copenhagenize' his city, and he might succeed! (video)

One more US city fully commits to transforming itself into a better place to live for all.




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The Kitchen of the Future might be no kitchen at all

The Miele Dialog oven, combined with meal delivery, may make it obsolete.




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'BPA-free' plastics often uses Bisphenol-S ... which might be just as bad

From one problem to the next...




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This might be the coolest photo of a farm you'll ever see

Since 1984, Brazilian farmer Ernst Gotsch has been restoring 1,200 acres of deforested land into a working, regenerative farm. The results are amazing.




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The Skyrider 2.0 just might be the greenest way to fly

We have standing room in landbuses, so why not airbuses?




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Beer could be $30 a six-pack soon, and that might be a good thing

Barley doesn't like rising temperatures, and neither will beer lovers.




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Out of Water? How We Might Make More

Stand at the edge of a reservoir, river, or ocean and it's hard to imagine that the planet could ever run out of water; even just a day at the beach makes your one small shower a day seem like less of a threat. But with




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Someday we might get 100% of our aluminum from recycling (using only 5% of the energy)

Recycling aluminum uses about 95% less energy than making new one from bauxite ore, which compares very favorably with other types of recycling.




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How mushrooms might save the honey bee

In the fight against one of the honey bee’s nemesis, the varroa mite, scientists have found an ally in a widely-distributed mushroom.




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Merritt Crossing In Oakland Might Well Be The Greenest Home in America

Seniors residence so green and attractive that the government and nonprofits should jump up and say "We built it!"




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The great sunscreen fallacy: Lack of sun exposure might be killing us

Experts suggest that the health benefits of sunlight may outweigh the risks.




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How the coronavirus might change bathroom design

Onion Flats redesigned their bathrooms to save space, but it actually is a healthier design.




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Plan for What "will" Happen, not What "might" Happen - Alien Invasion Might Happen

Alien Invasion Might Happen






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You might be surprised how much it costs to charter a yacht right now

With the cruising industry in tatters and the desire for remote travel greater than ever, chartering a yacht can sound appealing. Here's what you get for $5,000 to $150,000.




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Kudlow says third round of PPP small business loans might be needed as demand soars

The second round of the Paycheck Protection Program launched last Monday and has so far provided over 2 million loans worth over $175 billion out of the total $310 billion Congress authorized in the latest relief package.




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Why now might be a good time to save in a Roth 401(k) or Roth IRA

Roth accounts may make sense for a larger number of Americans due to low historical income-tax rates and the U.S. budget deficit, which some experts believe will necessitate the government raising tax rates in the future.




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It pays to stay unemployed. That might be a good thing

A large share of American workers could earn more money while unemployed than from their prior jobs. Labor economists generally think the policy was appropriate given the situation.




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Moderna CEO on Covid-19 vaccine timeline, how it might be distributed and more

The FDA has approved Moderna's coronavirus vaccine candidate for a phase 2 trial, something the company calls a crucial step in its timeline. Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel joins "Squawk Box" to discuss.




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'I might have died if they hadn't rescued me': life inside the new hotels for the homeless

Coronavirus prompted an emergency operation to house rough sleepers in Travelodges and Holiday Inns. In many ways it has been a success – but what happens next?

To begin with, Clare Sutcliffe found the shift from sleeping in a doorway in Soho to a king-size bed in a central-London hotel very disorientating. After 15 months sleeping rough, she found it hard to relax and really believe she was in a safe space.

“The first couple of nights, I couldn’t sleep with the light off,” she says. “This might sound mad, but I was a bit scared. It was different; when you’re used to sleeping out in the open outside and then all of a sudden you’re in a bed, in a room, with a door that shuts.” When she arrived at the hotel five weeks ago, she was a skeletal six-and-a-half stone; since then, with three meals delivered to her room every day, her health has begun to improve.

Continue reading...




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OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z Might Hit Indian Market Soon

OnePlus Bullets Wireless Z earphones were launched last month alongside the new OnePlus 8 series. The earphones are priced at Rs 1,999 in India, which is cheaper than the US price. The OnePlus 8 and the 8 Pro smartphones are expected




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Mightier Than The Sword




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Coronavirus: When might Hollywood reopen for business?

Cast and crews might have to quarantine together in the future when filming begins again.




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Fashion might call for it, but corporate workspaces okay with the full beard?

Beards are to men what make-up is to women, and a quick Internet search of actors in a pre- and post-beard phase will confirm this. Such has been the impact and acceptance of facial hair that they have gradually crossed the barriers of hipsterdom to find their way to boardrooms. But are corporate firms with a strict formal dress code open to men with beards?

"We have a strict dress code, where a shabby demeanour is unacceptable. We even keep daily checks; employees cannot walk into the office in jeans or sports shoes, especially when they have client interactions. But full beards are not a concern. We have employees with full beards and twirled moustaches," says Sudhir Dhar, CHRO – director HR, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd.


Dr Sujaya Banerjee

Rohan Vaswani, CHRO, Nexus Malls, a fully owned subsidiary of investment firm Blackstone Group, shares a similar thought. The company follows a formal dress code from Monday to Thursday and smart casuals on Friday. "You can't walk into the office with your shirt not tucked in or in bright blue trousers. But beards, if they are well-kept, are fine," shares Vaswani.

Dress to impress
"The first impression is created by the physical appearance of a person; it's later that you have an interaction and people get influenced by your personality. So, if you seem shabby, you create a perception even before you talk," says Dhar.

He adds that as long as one is confident of carrying it off and not look out of place, a beard is acceptable.


Rohan Vaswani

"We conduct training on executive presence — how to look, behave and dress like a leader. These aspects are now becoming increasingly important as often, you find that people are competent but they don't make it beyond a point because they don't look like the part or someone who can represent the organisation before multiple stakeholders. It's not about good looks but about appearance. A haircut and a well-groomed beard are a part of this understanding. You can't have a two-day stubble where you look like you have just woken up and come to work. We actually check if there's a valid reason behind an unkempt stubble: Is the employee unwell? Or is he battling a low?" says Dr Sujaya Banerjee, CEO and founder of Capstone People Consulting.

Do you shave before an interview?
Most HR personnel we spoke to felt there's no middle ground; you either opt for the clean-shaven look or wear a groomed full beard. "It's better to shave off a two-day stubble and not go in between. It can be interpreted as a sign of laziness," warns Dhar.

"I am more interested in knowing if a person has the right competence and capability for the job. The older generation, however, associates beards with carelessness and mistrust. Traditionally, even in films, the bearded guy will always be the villain or from the underworld. If a full beard is groomed, it's fine. Long hair is not allowed. You are not an artist or performer, you are corporate. Hence, certain norms remain. We allow personal freedom as long as you stay well-groomed," adds Banerjee.

Make a bearded impact
"Some people look smarter with a beard," says Dhar. Vaswani feels that real estate companies are often promoter-driven, and the vision of the promoter and the top management often reflects on the staff where people would go the extra mile to keep with the image. "Those with gaunt features can look fuller with a beard. It also saves you the trouble of having to shave every day. A good beard can actually help you appear stronger. Also, today, people look for organisations where individuality is encouraged, where you can bring your authentic self to work. It's motivating to be in an organisation where you can express who you are, as long as it doesn't hamper business. So, if the beard is within acceptable parameters, all's well," says Banerjee.

Grooming tips
Keep it clean
Wash your beard three times a week to prevent the build-up of dead skin cells.
Keep it moisturised Oil your beard daily to keep it soft and moisturised.
Shape it up
Trim your beard when you see stray hair or as desired to maintain the shape. Repeat this once every two weeks when you want to maintain a consistent length.
Kaushal Pratab, founder, Shepherd For Men 

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates





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A mighty trinity

It is not often that you see practitioners of Kathak, Odissi and Mohiniattam share the stage to present not multiple performances, but one that threads together the three traditions. That’s what connoisseurs of the dance forms will witness at a performance that highlights their underlying unity.

It will be presented by Sujatha Sanjay Nair, daughter and disciple of Mohiniattam exponent Jayashree Nair; Indrayanee Mukherjee, the first ganda-bandh shagird of well-known Kathak dancer Uma Dogra; and Dr Prachi Jariwala (in pic), senior disciple of renowned Odissi dancer Daksha Mashruwala.

Free
On:
Today, 6 pm

At: Visitors Centre, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Fort.

Art power

Attend a group exhibition where over 40 artists will showcase their works under one roof. The Power of Colours will feature paintings by nationally and internationally renowned artists such as Subrata Bose and Rabin Bar.

Till May 6, 11 am to 7 pm
At Nehru Centre Art Gallery, Dr Annie Besant Road, Worli.
call 24964676
Free

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates





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Tax-News.com: Mighty Corporation Settles Tax Dispute With Filipino Government

President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte revealed during his recent State of the Nation address that tobacco firm Mighty Corporation had agreed to settle three cases of tax evasion with the Filipino government.




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Tax-News.com: Filipino Authorities Drop Tax Cases Against Might Corp

Having accepted a settlement from the tobacco firm, the Philippines Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Department of Justice on October 2 dropped three tax evasion cases against Mighty Corp.