obst Ohio Insurance Salesman Sentenced to 20 Months in Prison for Tax Obstruction and Currency Structuring By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 24 Jan 2013 13:20:15 EST A federal judge in Cleveland today sentenced William R. Herder of Bellville, Ohio, to 20 months in prison for tax crimes. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former Maryland Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:42:27 EST Ryan Lohr, 26, a former correctional officer at the Roxbury Correctional Institution (RCI) in Hagerstown, Md., pleaded guilty today to conspiring to obstruct justice and destroy evidence from a March 9, 2008, assault of an inmate by RCI officers. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Florida Woman Sentenced to Prison for Obstruction of Justice in Relation to Her Husband’s Disappearance By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:50:30 EST A Gainesville, Fla., woman was sentenced today to serve one year and one day in prison for her role in the obstruction of a multinational investigation into the disappearance of her husband, then an employee in the U.S. Consulate in Curacao. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former Albuquerque Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to Obstruction of Justice By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 20 Feb 2013 14:13:01 EST Matthew Pendley, 26, a former corrections officer at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque, N.M., pleaded guilty today to one count of obstructing justice when he lied to law enforcement during their investigation of the assault on an inmate at the hands of another corrections officer. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former North Carolina Builder Pleads Guilty to Tax Obstruction By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 4 Mar 2013 17:36:36 EST William B. Clayton, a residential builder formerly of Corolla, N.C., pleaded guilty today before Judge Terrence W. Boyle to corruptly obstructing and impeding the due administration of the tax laws. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former New Mexico Corrections Officer Convicted on Obstruction of Justice Charges By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 7 Mar 2013 12:05:53 EST A federal jury late yesterday convicted Kevin Casaus, 25, a former corrections officer at the Bernalillo County, N.M., Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Albuquerque, N.M., on obstruction of justice and falsification of records charges. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Veteran D.C. Defense Attorney Charles F. Daum Sentenced to Serve 63 Months in Prison for Obstruction of Justice By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:54:18 EDT Veteran District of Columbia defense attorney Charles F. Daum was sentenced today to serve 63 months in prison on three counts of obstructing justice in a federal drug trafficking case. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Four Police of Puerto Rico Officers Indicted on Federal Civil Rights, Obstruction of Justice and Perjury Charges By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 22 Mar 2013 15:31:33 EDT A superseding indictment against four Police of Puerto Rico (POPR) officers was announced today by Roy L. Austin Jr., Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division; Rosa Emilia Rodriguez-Velez, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico; and Carlos Cases, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, Sheriff’s Deputy Indicted for Civil Rights, Bank Fraud, Computer Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft and Obstruction of Justice Violations By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 1 Apr 2013 14:32:58 EDT An indictment against former Jefferson Parish, La., Sheriff’s Deputy Mark Hebert, 48, was announced today by Roy L. Austin Jr., Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division; Dana J. Boente, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana; Michael J. Anderson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI New Orleans Field Office; and Sheriff Newell Normand from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst New Jersey Return Preparer Pleads Guilty to Corruptly Endeavoring to Obstruct the IRS and Preparing False Tax Return By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 9 Apr 2013 13:30:59 EDT Eric Majette, 52, a tax return preparer and owner and operator of the Berrisford Group, located in Somerville, N.J., pleaded guilty today to corruptly endeavoring to obstruct and impede the Internal Revenue laws and to preparing a false tax return. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Obstruction Charges Filed in Ongoing FCPA Investigation into Alleged Guinean Mining Rights Bribe Scheme By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 15 Apr 2013 17:24:13 EDT Frederic Cilins, 50, a French citizen, has been arrested and accused of attempting to obstruct an ongoing investigation into whether a mining company paid bribes to win lucrative mining rights in the Republic of Guinea. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former North Las Vegas Corrections Officer Indicted on Excessive Force and Obstruction Charges By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:15:49 EDT The Department of Justice today announced that a federal grand jury sitting in Las Vegas has indicted a former North Las Vegas corrections officer on federal civil rights and obstruction of justice charges. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Michigan Businessman Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud and Obstructing the Internal Revenue Service By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 16 May 2013 17:33:23 EDT Mosii Mays Blackwell, of Detroit, Mich., pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of Michigan to obstructing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and bank fraud, the Justice Department and the IRS announced today. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former Prince George’s County, Maryland, Correctional Officer Sentenced to 24 Months for Obstruction of Justice By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 3 Jun 2013 15:47:26 EDT U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams Jr. sentenced Anthony McIntosh, a former correctional officer at the Prince George’s County Detention Center, in Upper Marlboro, Md., to 24 months in prison for obstruction of justice. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former Alabama Corrections Officer Convicted of Federal Civil Rights Offenses and Obstruction of Justice for Beating Death of an Inmate By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 10:33:18 EDT The Justice Department announced that yesterday a federal jury convicted a former corrections officer of the Alabama Department of Corrections, of two civil rights violations and five obstruction of justice-related violations in connection with the beating death of former inmate Rocrast Mack. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former Alabama Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to Obstructing Justice in Federal Criminal Civil Rights Investigation of Beating Death of an Inmate By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 8 Jul 2013 18:24:25 EDT The Justice Department announced today that Joseph Sanders, 32, a former corrections officer of the Alabama Department of Corrections, pleaded guilty to obstructing justice in an investigation into the beating death of former inmate Rocrast Mack. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Two Shipping Firms Sentenced to Pay $10.4 Million for Obstructing Justice and Environmental Crimes for Concealing Vessel Pollution By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 23 Jul 2013 15:54:36 EDT Two shipping firms based in Germany and Cyprus were sentenced today in federal court in Newark, N.J., to pay a $10.4 million penalty for felony obstruction of justice charges and violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships related to the deliberate concealment of vessel pollution from four ships that visited ports in New Jersey, Delaware and Northern California, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in New Jersey and Delaware, the U.S. Department of Justice Environment and Natural Resources Division and the U.S. Coast Guard announced. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Flossmoor, Ill., Man Indicted for Obstruction of Justice and Filing False Liens Against Two Federal Judges and Other Government Employees By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 17:27:18 EDT The Justice Department announced today that Tyree Davis Sr. of Flossmoor, Ill., was arrested on an eight-count indictment charging him with obstruction of justice and filing fraudulent multi-billion dollar liens against government employees. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Barren County, KY. Sheriff Sentenced on Two Counts of Obstructing Justice By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 1 Aug 2013 17:58:33 EDT Barren County, Ky., Sheriff Christopher Brian Eaton, 42, of Glasgow, Ky., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr. to serve an 18-month prison term followed by two years of supervised release, after a jury convicted him on May 9, 2013, of two counts of obstructing justice during a federal criminal civil rights investigation conducted by the FBI. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Five Puerto Rico Police Department Officers Indicted on Federal Civil Rights, Obstruction of Justice and Perjury Charges By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 7 Aug 2013 19:20:13 EDT A second superseding indictment against five Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD) officers was announced today by Jocelyn Samuels, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division; Rosa Emilia Rodriguez-Velez, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico; and Carlos Cases, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Three Former Broker-dealer Employees Plead Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court to Bribery of Foreign Officials, Money Laundering and Conspiracy to Obstruct Justice By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 30 Aug 2013 13:46:18 EDT Three employees of a New York-based U.S. broker-dealer have pleaded guilty for their roles in bribery schemes involving two state economic development banks in Venezuela. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former Bernalilo County Corrections Officer Sentenced to Prison for Obstructing Justice By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 9 Sep 2013 18:55:00 EDT The Justice Department announced today that Kevin Casaus, 24, a former corrections officer at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Albuquerque, N.M., was sentenced this morning to serve 15 months in federal prison followed by one year of supervised release for his conviction on obstruction of justice and falsification of records charges. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former Corrections Officers Sentenced for Federal Civil Rights Offenses and Obstruction of Justice for Beating Death of an Inmate at Ventress Correctional Facility in Alabama By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 4 Nov 2013 15:54:49 EST The Justice Department announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Myron H. Thompson sentenced four former corrections officers of the Alabama Department of Corrections – Michael Smith, Matthew Davidson, Joseph Sanders and Scottie Glenn – in connection with the beating death of former inmate Rocrast Mack. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Pittsburgh Repeat Offender Sentenced to Prison for Tax Obstruction By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 17:40:03 EST Michael Carlow, a resident of Pittsburgh, Pa., was sentenced today to serve 35 months in prison for corruptly endeavoring to obstruct the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Justice Department and IRS announced. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former BP Engineer Convicted for Obstruction of Justice in Connection with the Deepwater Horizon Criminal Investigation By www.justice.gov Published On :: Wed, 18 Dec 2013 16:04:23 EST A former engineer for BP plc, was convicted today of intentionally destroying evidence requested by federal criminal authorities investigating the April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon disaster. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former Desoto County, Fla., Sheriff’s Deputies Indicted for Civil Rights and Obstruction Violations Regarding the Assault of an Inmate By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 9 Jan 2014 15:49:22 EST A federal grand jury in Fort Myers, Fla., indicted former Desoto County Sheriff’s Office deputies Steven Rizza and Jonathan Mause today for charges related to the violation of the civil rights of an inmate who was assaulted by Rizza at the Desoto County Jail and the ensuing obstruction of the investigation into that offense. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Roxbury Correctional Institution Sergeant Convicted of Obstructing Justice By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 31 Jan 2014 17:52:52 EST The Justice Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and the FBI announced that Josh Hummer, a sergeant at the Roxbury Correctional Institution in Hagerstown, Md., was convicted today by a federal jury of obstructing justice during the investigation of an assault against an inmate. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former Alabama KKK Leader Pleads Guilty to Cross Burning and Obstruction of Justice By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 3 Feb 2014 17:58:46 EST Steven Joshua Dinkle, 28, former Exalted Cyclops of the Ozark, Ala., chapter of the International Keystone Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, pleaded guilty in federal court today to hate crime and obstruction of justice charges for his role in a 2009 cross burning, the Justice Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Alabama announced. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former Denso Corp. Executive Agrees to Plead Guilty to Obstructing Automotive Parts Investigation By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 20 Feb 2014 10:51:54 EST A former executive of Japan-based Denso Corp. has agreed to plead guilty to obstruction of justice charges in connection with the Antitrust Division’s investigation into a conspiracy to fix the prices of heater control panels installed in cars sold in the United States and elsewhere. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former Employee of Florida Airline Fuel Supply Company Pleads Guilty to Obstructing Federal Investigation By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 24 Feb 2014 16:01:14 EST A former employee of a Florida-based airline fuel supply service company pleaded guilty today to obstructing an investigation into fraud and anticompetitive conduct in the airline charter services industry. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst French Citizen Pleads Guilty to Obstructing Criminal Investigation into Alleged Bribes Paid to Win Mining Rights in the Republic of Guinea By www.justice.gov Published On :: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 16:07:36 EDT Frederic Cilins, 51, a French citizen, pleaded guilty today in the Southern District of New York to obstructing a federal criminal investigation into whether a mining company paid bribes to win lucrative mining rights in the Republic of Guinea. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former Police Officer Convicted of Excessive Force and Obstruction Charges By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 1 Apr 2014 18:06:11 EDT Today, a federal jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota sitting in Bismarck, N.D., convicted Lindrith Tsoodle, 58, of one felony count and one misdemeanor count of using excessive force on persons in his custody in November and December of 2010. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former Maryland Sergeant Sentenced for Obstruction of Justice By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 9 May 2014 17:27:20 EDT Josh Hummer, formerly a sergeant at Roxbury Correctional Institution (RCI) in Hagerstown, Maryland, was sentenced today to serve 12 months and a day in prison for obstruction of justice. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former Alabama KKK Leader Sentenced to Prison for Cross Burning and Obstruction of Justice By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 15 May 2014 17:51:08 EDT Steven Joshua Dinkle, 28, former Exalted Cyclops of the Ozark, Alabama, chapter of the International Keystone Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge W. Keith Watkins to serve 24 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for his role in a cross burning in 2009. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Japanese Automotive Parts Manufacturer Executive Indicted for Role in Conspiracy to Fix Prices and for Obstruction of Justice By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 22 May 2014 16:07:17 EDT A Detroit federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against an executive of a Japanese manufacturer of automotive parts for his participation in a conspiracy to fix prices of heater control panels and for obstruction of justice for ordering the destruction of evidence related to the conspiracy. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former Maryland Division of Corrections Lieutenant Sentenced for Obstruction of Justice By www.justice.gov Published On :: Tue, 2 Sep 2014 11:44:23 EDT Edwin Stigile III, formerly a lieutenant at the Roxbury Correctional Institution (RCI) in Hagerstown, Maryland, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge James K. Bredar to serve 36 months in prison for obstruction of justice in connection with his involvement in a series of assaults against an inmate, Kenneth Davis, at RCI Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Georgia Police Officials and Former Deputy Indicted by Federal Grand Jury on Charges of Excessive Force and Obstruction of Justice By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 12:02:40 EDT The Department of Justice announced today that a federal grand jury in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia returned indictments charging four law enforcement officers with civil rights violations and obstruction of justice in connection with an incident that occurred at Bainbridge BikeFest in 2012. A seven count indictment was returned charging former Grady County Sheriff’s Deputy Wiley Griffin IV and Decatur County Sheriff’s Office Captain Elizabeth Croley with violating an individual’s civil rights. Additionally, Croley, Decatur County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Kines and former Decatur County Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Wade Umbach were charged with obstructive conduct relating to the investigation into the civil rights violation Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Illinois Man Pleads Guilty to Obstruction of Justice and Filing False Multi-Billion Dollar Liens Against Two Federal Judges and Other Government Employees By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 13:07:50 EDT Tyree Davis Sr., 42, of Flossmoor, Illinois, pleaded guilty to two counts of obstruction of justice and two counts of filing false retaliatory liens against government officials, the Justice Department announced today Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Former Officer Sentenced for Excessive Force and Obstruction Charges By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 14:21:44 EDT Lindrith Tsoodle, 58, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland to serve 15 months in prison for two incidents in which he used excessive force against an arrestee and for lying to a federal agent Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst French Citizen Sentenced for Obstructing a Criminal Investigation into Alleged Bribes Paid to Win Mining Rights in Guinea By www.justice.gov Published On :: Fri, 29 Aug 2014 14:53:12 EDT Frederic Cilins, a 51-year old French citizen, was sentenced today in the Southern District of New York to 24 months in prison for obstructing a federal criminal investigation into alleged bribes to obtain mining concessions in the Republic of Guinea Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison for Obstruction of Child Sex Trafficking Laws By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 14:56:07 EDT Victor Manuel Contreras, 29, of Manassas, Virginia, was sentenced to serve 60 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for obstructing and interfering with the enforcement of federal child sex trafficking laws Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Six Former Puerto Rico Police Officers Plead Guilty to Federal Civil Rights, Obstruction of Justice and Perjury Charges By www.justice.gov Published On :: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 13:24:35 EDT Three Puerto Rico police officers, Erick Rivera Nazario, Angel Torres Quinones and Antonio Rodriguez Caraballo today pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges in connection with the fatal beating of 19-year-old Jose Luis Irizarry Perez, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Molly Moran for the Civil Rights Division, United States Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodriguez-Velez for the District of Puerto Rico, and Special Agent in Charge Carlos Cases of the FBI San Juan Field Office. Full Article OPA Press Releases
obst Obstructive sleep apnoea and the role of the dental team By feeds.nature.com Published On :: 2020-05-08 Full Article
obst Assessing the Obstacles and Opportunities in a Future Israeli-Syrian-American Peace Negotiation By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Tue, 25 May 2010 12:45:00 -0400 Introduction: In the ebb and flow of Middle East diplomacy, the two interrelated issues of an Israeli-Syrian peace settlement and Washington’s bilateral relationship with Damascus have gone up and down on Washington’s scale of importance. The election of Barack Obama raised expectations that the United States would give the two issues the priority they had not received during the eight years of the George W. Bush administration. Candidate Obama promised to assign a high priority to the resuscitation of the Arab-Israeli peace process, and separately to “engage” with Iran and Syria (as recommended by the Iraq Study Group in 2006).In May 2009, shortly after assuming office, President Obama sent the assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, and the senior director for the Middle East in the National Security Council, Daniel Shapiro, to Damascus to open a dialogue with Bashar al-Asad’s regime. Several members of Congress also travelled to Syria early in Obama’s first year, including the chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, John Kerry, and the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Howard Berman. In addition, when the president appointed George Mitchell as special envoy to the Middle East, Mitchell named as his deputy Fred Hof, a respected expert on Syria and the Israeli-Syrian dispute. Last summer, both Mitchell and Hof visited Damascus and began their give and take with Syria. And yet, after this apparent auspicious beginning, neither the bilateral relationship between the United States and Syria, nor the effort to revive the Israeli-Syrian negotiation has gained much traction. Damascus must be chagrined by the fact that when the Arab-Israeli peace process is discussed now, it is practically equated with the Israeli-Palestinian track. This paper analyzes the difficulties confronting Washington’s and Jerusalem’s respective Syria policies and offers an approach for dealing with Syria. Many of the recommendations stem from lessons resulting from the past rounds of negotiations, so it is important to understand what occurred. Downloads Download Full Report - English Authors Itamar Rabinovich Full Article
obst 2009 Brookings Blum Roundtable: Climate Crisis, Credit Crisis - Overcoming Obstacles to Build a Climate Resilient World By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:00:00 -0400 Event Information July 30 - August 1, 2009 In the midst of a global economic downturn, the world’s climate change negotiators will descend on Copenhagen in December to craft a post-2012 climate regime. But with the timing and impacts of climate change still uncertain—not to mention the ongoing transitions brought about by globalization and the increased cost of capital investment due to weak financial markets—tensions across countries are evident. Policy-makers must now think creatively to realize their goal of revitalizing the global economy through low carbon growth models. 2009 Brookings Blum Roundtable: Related Materials Read the roundtable report - Climate Crisis, Credit Crisis: The Quest for Green Growth » Read the conference policy briefs » Download the participant list » (PDF) Download the scene setter » (PDF) Download the full roundtable agenda » (PDF) In its sixth annual gathering, led by Kemal Derviş and co-chaired by Strobe Talbott and Richard C. Blum, the Brookings Blum Roundtable convened leaders from the climate change and global development communities from July 30 through August 1, 2009 to discuss and debate policy options to stimulate green, pro-poor growth. By examining the challenges and opportunities policymakers face, the roundtable forged sustainable solutions to solve the climate crisis in a way that revitalizes the global economy and lifts the lives of the poor. Lunch Briefing: “Towards a Global Climate Agreement: Key Insights from Project Catalyst” Keynote Sessions: “A Blueprint for Transatlantic Climate Cooperation” “Compounding Crises: How Can and How Are the Poor Protecting Themselves?” “Greening Business: Engaging the Private Sector in Climate Change Solutions” Hal Harvey, ClimateWorks Foundation Thomas Heller, Stanford Law School Moderator: William Antholis, Brookings John Podesta, Center for American Progress Cem Özdemir, German Green Party Moderator: Timothy Wirth, United Nations Foundation Ernest Aryeetey, University of Ghana and Director, Africa Growth Initiative at Brookings Helen Clark, United Nations Development Program Raymond Offenheiser, Oxfam America Moderator: Karen Kornbluh, Center for American Progress Meg McDonald, Alcoa Foundation Jane Nelson, Harvard Kennedy School of Government Glenn Prickett, Conservation International Mark Tercek, the Nature Conservancy Full Article
obst African Lions: Ghana’s job creation successes and obstacles By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Tue, 07 Jun 2016 11:16:00 -0400 Over the past two decades, Ghana’s economy experienced an average annual growth rate of 5.8 percent, and became a low-middle income country in 2007. Though Ghana’s average annual employment growth between 1993 and 2013 has been higher than sub-Saharan Africa’s—3.7 percent versus 3.0 percent—its overall employment growth has not kept up with its economic growth. Notably, Ghana’s impressive economic growth has largely stemmed from crude oil exports, mining, and financial intermediation—all sectors and subsectors in which labor absorption is low. Given these trends, Ghana’s ability to transform its growth gains into better livelihoods for its citizens is being challenged. In their paper, Understanding Ghana’s growth success story and job creation challenges, Ernest Aryeetey and William Baah-Boateng examine the sustainability of the high growth Ghana has experienced over the last two decades and advise Ghanaian policymakers to rethink their growth strategy. For a more in-depth look at these and related topics, such as labor productivity, you can read the full paper here. Ghana’s labor trends Like in many other sub-Saharan African countries, the agriculture sector is the largest employer in Ghana, though its employment share is decreasing from 61.1 percent in 1984 to 44.7 percent in 2013. In addition, while industry’s employment share has slightly grown from 13.7 percent to 14.6 percent over the same period (and the manufacturing subsector has decreased from 10.9 percent to 9.1 percent), services has grown from 25 percent to 40.9 percent—leading to what the authors refer as a “missing middle.” As noted above, the authors emphasize that the sectors that have been driving Ghana’s growth are not labor-intensive, namely mining, oil extraction, and finance. While labor has been moving from agriculture to services, the authors note that the trend “may not reflect a structural and productive transformation,” largely because the jobs created in the services sector are mostly informal and have low productivity. Indeed, services sector maintained the lowest annual average growth of labor productivity between 1992 and 2013. As part of these shifts, informal employment—which represented 88 percent of Ghanaian employment in 2013—grew by 3.7 percent on average while formal employment grew by only 2.6 percent during this period. Unemployment in Ghana remains low, at 5.2 percent, though has experienced significant swings from 2.8 percent in 1984 to 10.4 percent in 2000 to 3.1 percent in 2006. The authors note, though, that these numbers might be deceptive due to the high numbers of informal, vulnerable, and “discouraged workers” (those who are jobless and available for work but fail to make the effort to seek work for various reasons) in Ghana. In fact, they state that, in 2006, after accounting for discouraged workers the unemployment rate more than doubled from 3.1 percent to 6.5 percent. Vulnerable employment and the working poor Despite Ghana’s relatively low unemployment rate, many laborers still live in poverty: According to the authors, 22 percent of working people are poor. Many others work in “vulnerable employment”—which the authors define as “a measure of people employed under relatively precarious circumstances indicated by their status in employment. It consists of own account and contributing family work that are less likely to have formal work arrangements, access to benefit or social protection programs, and are more ‘at risk’ to economic cycles (ILO 2009).” This definition is opposed to “productive employment,” or “paid employment and self-employed with employees.” Vulnerable workers are usually found in the informal sector and tend to have lower earnings—a situation exacerbating the ever-widening earnings gap and growing income inequality. According to the authors, working poverty is closely linked with vulnerable employment, for which seven of 10 jobs in Ghana qualify (Table 1). Some policies, which could combat working poverty, have been somewhat ineffective in reducing poverty: For example, Ghana has been consistent in raising its minimum wage, keeping it largely above the rate of inflation, but this policy tends to only affect those in the formal sector, leaving out workers in the informal sector. This trend has also increased Ghana’s inequality: The Gini coefficient increased from 35.4 percent in 1987/88 to 42.3 percent in 2013. Table 1: Quantity and quality of employment (percent of employed) Economic sector 1984 1992 1999 2000 2006 2010 2013 Employment-to-population (ratio, SSA) — 64.3 64.1 64.1 64.9 65.2 65.5 Employment-to-population (ratio, Ghana) 80.2 72.9 73.9 66.9 67.7 67.4 75.4 Economic sector Agriculture 61.1 62.2 55.0 53.1 54.9 41.6 44.7 Industry 13.7 10.0 14.0 15.5 14.2 15.4 14.6 Manufacturing (part of industry) 10.9 8.2 11.7 10.7 11.4 10.7 9.1 Service 25.2 27.8 31.0 31.5 30.9 43.0 40.9 Institutional sector Public 10.2 8.4 6.2 7.2 5.7 6.4 5.9 Private 6.0 6.1 7.5 8.9 7.0 7.4 6.1 Informal 83.8 85.5 86.1 83.9 87.3 86.2 88.0 Type of employment Paid employees 16.2 16.8 13.8 16.0 17.5 18.2 22.5 Self-employment 69.6 81.3 68.7 73.4 59.5 60.8 52.6 Contributing family worker 12.5 1.9 17.2 6.8 20.4 11.6 22.3 Other 1.7 — 0.3 3.8 2.6 9.4 2.6 Quality of employment Gainful/productive employment* 20.9 — — 21.2 22.0 23.1 28.7 Vulnerable employment** 77.4 82.5 80.8 74.9 75.4 67.5 68.7 Working poverty — 48.7 35.4 — 25.6 — 22.3 Notes: * Gainful/productive employment comprises paid employment and self-employed with employees. ** Vulnerable employment comprises own account and contribution family work. Source: Computed from Ghana Living Standards Survey (GLSS) 3, 4, 5, and 6; Population Census 1984, 2000, and 2010. Overall, though, Ghana has made great strides. Vulnerable employment has been declining, and productive employment has risen, gains the author attributes to the drop in working poverty—down from 48.7 percent in 1992 to 22.3 percent two decades later (Table 1). However, they also hint that these improvements could have been even larger had job growth been concentrated in paid employment and self-employed with employees. The skills gap In their paper, the authors posit that job creation has occurred in less productive sectors due to a lack of skills and education in the workforce—and skill-intensive jobs/vacancies are instead getting filled by foreign laborers. While the proportion of the labor force with no formal education has significantly fallen from 44.1 percent in 1992 to 25.6 percent in 2013, post-primary education rates have barely risen—from 5.7 percent to 12.1 percent during that same period for secondary, vocational, and technical education. Tertiary is even less—from 2 percent to 5.4 percent. Ghanaian universities have not been training engineers, scientists, and technical workers that could increase the productivity and grow the industrial sector. A shortage of technical and vocational skills also limits this sector. Thus, the authors note, employers are forced to look outside of the country to find the workers with the skills required to do the job. The authors emphasize: [P]roductive structural economic transformation hinges on the level and quality of education and labour skills. A highly skilled, innovative, and knowledgeable workforce constitutes a key ingredient in the process of structural economic transformation, and as productive sectors apply more complex production technologies and research and development activities increase the demand for education and skills. However, the observed weak human capital base does not provide a strong foundation for structural economic transformation of Ghana. At the same time, the more educated in Ghana also tend to be more likely to be unemployed due to limited job creation for them in the formal sector. In 2013, the unemployment rates for those with secondary education and above (including tertiary) was over 6 percent. The unemployment rate for those with basic education or less was under 3.3 percent. The authors suggest that this trend is due to the fact that those with less education are more likely to take an informal job, while more educated laborers struggle to find jobs in the small formal sector. Recommendations Though Ghana has outperformed many of its sub-Saharan neighbors in terms of job creation and growth, its challenges with declining manufacturing, high informal employment, and low education attainment endanger its momentum. To tackle these obstacles, the authors recommend: Adjust the priorities of the growth strategy to promote manufacturing, and reconsider the goal of economic growth for growth’s sake by acknowledging that sustainable growth must be coupled with generation of productive and high-earning jobs for all. Create a manufacturing and business-friendly environment by addressing the country’s high interest rates, high taxes, and chronic energy problems, among others. Enact policies to enhance the high-productivity, high-labor-absorbing agricultural sector, such as improving agricultural extension, develop irrigation plans, among others. Develop policies to increase the number of secondary school graduates as well as students studying science, technology, engineering, and math. For further discussion and recommendations, read the full paper here.Note: The African Lions project is a collaboration among United Nations University-World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), the University of Cape Town’s Development Policy Research Unit (DPRU), and the Brookings Africa Growth Initiative, that provides an analytical basis for policy recommendations and value-added guidance to domestic policymakers in the fast-growing economies of Africa, as well as for the broader global community interested in the development of the region. The six papers, covering Mozambique, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Nigeria, explore the key constraints facing African economies as they attempt to maintain a long-run economic growth and development trajectory. Authors Christina Golubski Full Article
obst Reducing regulatory obstacles to annuities in 401(k) plans By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Wed, 24 Jul 2019 13:00:17 +0000 Abstract Retirees with defined contribution plans face a key dilemma: how and when to convert their retirement savings into income in a way that minimizes the risk of outliving their assets without unnecessarily sacrificing their standard of living. Annuities offer one way to resolve this dilemma. We explore legislative and regulatory reforms that could encourage… Full Article
obst Quick-thinking obstetrician delivers a drowning baby moose to safety By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:27:21 -0400 "It was cool to be in the right place at the right time," says Dr. Sciascia. Full Article Science
obst George the Lobster is Free! By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:37:34 -0500 A 20 pound lobster going by the name of George was saved this past Saturday, as PETA brought him out to the Atlantic and set him free. George had been living at City Crab Restaurant in Full Article Business
obst Colorful Lobster Trio a "1 in 900 Quintillion" Sight By www.treehugger.com Published On :: Thu, 14 Oct 2010 18:11:58 -0400 Images courtesy of the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk That's '9' followed by 20 zeroes The probability of a lobster being born with a blue shell is about 1 in a million. For a calico or pumpkin-orange colored lobster, the odds are in the excess of 1 in 30 Full Article Science