March 2019

31Mar

Robo-Advisors: Investing Through Machines

By Facundo Abraham (World Bank), Sergio L. Schmukler (World Bank - Development Research Group (DECRG)), José Tessada (Business School, Pontificia Universidad Católica) Investing through online automated platforms, known as robo-advisors, is increasingly popular. Robo-advisors expand access to wealth management services by making it easier and less costly to open investments accounts and receive financial advice, as well as plan and automate investment decisions. However, the rise of robo-advisors requires consumers to understand the limitations of these services and to get...

March 31, 2019
Articles, Investing, Labor Market,
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25Mar

Can an Ageing Workforce Explain Low Inflation?

By Benoît Mojon (Bank for International Settlements (BIS)) & Xavier Ragot (Banque de France) Why is wage inflation so weak in spite of the recent sharp reduction in unemployment? We show that this may be due to an ongoing change in the composition of the labor supply. Indeed, the participation rate of workers aged between 55 and 64 has increased steadily over the last decade, from a third to above a half on average across OECD countries. This is most...

March 25, 2019
Aging, Articles, Labor Market,
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17Mar

Global Microscope 2018: The Enabling Environment for Financial Inclusion

By Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) The 2018 Global Microscope provides a unique insight into the leading practices that governments and regulators are adopting to channel the digital revolution of financial services into greater levels of financial inclusion. It sets a model for an enabling environment for financial inclusion across five domains: 1. Government and Policy Support; 2. Stability and Integrity; 3. Products and Outlets; 4. Consumer Protection; and 5. Infrastructure. Developed through expert consultation, the five-part model framework represents the...

March 17, 2019
Books, Labor Market, Sustainability,
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10Mar

Millennial Money Mindset: How to Win Finances and Influence Pensions

By Neil Doig The rules have changed. The baby boomer’s financial plan was easy. Finish university debt free, waltz into a job for life, buy an affordable house and finish the last day of work with a handshake, a carriage clock and a guaranteed income for life. Millennials need a new plan. We have lived through the financial crash of 2008, many are scared of losing all their money in the stock market, are getting next to nothing from saving,...

March 10, 2019
Books, Labor Market, ,
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10Mar

Working while Studying: Employment Premium or Penalty for Youth in Benin?

By Senakpon F. A. Dedehouanou (KU Leuven), Luca Tiberti (Université Laval), Hilaire Houeninvo (University of Abomey-Calavi), Djohodo Inès Monwanou (National University of Agriculture (Benin)) Most youth in developing countries leave school with only a general academic education level, slowing down their transition to the labor market. We analyze whether work experience during school can help youth transition more easily to a first job in Benin. We used data from the 2014 School-to-Work Transition Survey (SWTS) and a multi-equation model to...

March 10, 2019
Articles, Labor Market, , ,
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10Mar

Reforming Social Security: The Challenge of Income Inequality

By David W. Rasmussen (Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy) Objective: This article examines the role Social Security plays in alleviating poverty among retirees in the context of threats to its solvency.  Method: Examining long-term employment trends, declining access to defined benefit pensions and saving behavior can determine if in the more future Social Security beneficiaries are likely to be poor.  Results: Labor market trends driven by technical change, global competition and increasing demand for services indicate that more future retirees...

March 10, 2019
Articles, Labor Market, Regulation, , ,
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03Mar

Staying Put: Adapting the Places Instead of the People

By Susan Lanspery &‎ Joan Hyde Most existing housing offers a poor fit for older people and people with disabilities, and new construction adds less than 2 per cent to the housing each year. Ninety-nine percent of the housing that will be in use in the year 2000 exists today. The long-needed anthology "Staying Put: Adapting the Places Instead of the People" emphasizes the disabilities and abilities of environments instead of individuals. With contributions from leading authorities, it integrates a...

March 3, 2019
Aging, Books, Labor Market,
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03Mar

Understanding the Spatial Disparities and Vulnerability of Population Aging in China

By Yang Cheng (Beijing Normal University (BNU)), Siyao Gao (Beijing Normal University (BNU)), Shuai Li (Beijing Normal University (BNU)), Yuchao Zhang (Independent), Mark Rosenberg (Queen's University) Understanding the regional pattern of population aging in China enables rational policy making to address the challenges of inequity in social welfare and care resources among the east–central–west regions and rural–urban areas of China. This study uses census data in 2000 and 2010, and aging population ratios, annual increase rates, and spatial auto-correlation analysis...

March 3, 2019
Aging, Articles, Labor Market,
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February 2019

23Feb

Household Savings in Central Eastern and Southeastern Europe: How Do Poorer Households Save?

By Elisabeth Beckmann (Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB)) Based on a survey of households in 10 Central Eastern European and Western Balkan countries, this paper presents new and unique evidence on which households have savings and how they save. The paper shows that the percentage of savers is low, and savings are frequently informal. Formal savings are dominated by bank savings, and participation in contractual and capital market savings is very low in comparison to high-income countries. Poor households are significantly less...

February 23, 2019
Articles, Labor Market, Savings, , , ,
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15Feb

The Prosperity Paradox: How Innovation Can Lift Nations Out of Poverty

By Clayton M. Christensen,‎ Efosa Ojomo,‎ Karen Dillon Clayton M. Christensen, the author of such business classics as The Innovator’s Dilemma and the New York Times bestseller How Will You Measure Your Life, and co-authors Efosa Ojomo and Karen Dillon reveal why so many investments in economic development fail to generate sustainable prosperity, and offers a groundbreaking solution for true and lasting change.Global poverty is one of the world’s most vexing problems. For decades, we’ve assumed smart, well-intentioned people will eventually be able to change the...

February 15, 2019
Books, Labor Market, System Sustainability, , ,
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