India and China have been saddled side by side in the race for rising economic superpowers. While China has edged ahead on many fronts, India’s large youth population provides a massive potential. “An estimated 1-1.2 million new workers will join the labor market in South Asia every month over the next few decades – an increase of 25-50% over the historical average,” says a World Bank report. Job creation needs to match this upcoming labor force. A new government initiative in India, the National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC), has prioritized providing this generation with the necessary education and training so the country can reap the benefits of its demographic dividend. Read more or join the discussion.
Submitted by Carlin Carr — Mon, 11/11/2013 – 00:00
Os “Nem-Nem” são jovens entre 15 e 24 anos que nem estudam, nem trabalham, nem procuram emprego. Segundo dados do último censo, Brasil tem mais de 5 milhões de “Nem- Nem” no seu território, com grande concentração nas áreas urbanas. Rio atualmente tem mais de 150 mil “Nem-Nem”; preocupa que aquela população cresceu em 30 mil entre 2000 e 2010. Quais são as causas deste fenômeno? E quais são as respostas da cidade para enfrentar aquela situação? Leia mais o discutir.
A “NEET” is a youth between ages 15 to 24 who does not study and does not work. According to the latest Brazilian census, there are more than 5 million “NEETs” throughout the country, mainly concentrated in urban areas. In Rio alone, there are more than 150,000, and the number is rising: between 2000 and 2010, there were more than 30,000 new “NEETs.” What are the causes of this phenomenon and what is the city doing to respond to this situation? Read more or join the discussion.
Submitted by Catalina Gomez — Mon, 11/11/2013 – 00:00
In September this year the Kenyan government launched the Uwezo Fund, a 6 billion Ksh. cash reserve (approximately $70 million) aimed at channeling financial resources into the hands of youth and women. Money for the fund was obtained from capital set aside by the Jubilee Coalition during this year’s election campaign, for use in the case of a run-off. The Jubilee Coalition, led by Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy Samuel Ruto, pledged that any money that was not spent on the campaign would be channeled into a fund of this sort. Six months after winning the election, they stood by their commitment and announced that the application process for accessing interest-free loans was now open to registered youth and women’s groups. Read more or join the discussion.
Submitted by Katy Fentress — Mon, 11/11/2013 – 00:00
El desempleo juvenil es un problema especialmente grave en Cali. Las tasas de acercan al 33 por ciento, la más alta de las principales ciudades del país (la media nacional en este sector demográfico es del 17 por ciento). Si bien es cierto que la tasa general de desempleo en la capital del Cauca es también superior a la nacional (13 por ciento frente al 9 por ciento), los jóvenes caleños sufren este problema de forma desproporcionada. Aunque las causas del desempleo son complejas, cabe destacar un periodo de recesión económica que duró 10 años, de 1995 a 2005, que coincidió con la llegada de fuertes flujos migratorios. Aunque a partir de 2006 la economía ha crecido, no lo ha hecho en tasas suficientes para absorber la bolsa de desempleo y los nuevos flujos migratorios. La falta de cualificación para los nuevos trabajos que van surgiendo es otra barrera para que los jóvenes obtengan empleo. Leer más o discutir.
Youth unemployment (for youths 16-24 years of age) is a particularly severe problem in Cali. The rate is 33 percent, the highest in big Colombian cities (the average national rate hovers around 18 percent). Even though the global unemployment rate in Cali is also higher than the national average (13 percent versus 9 percent), young caleños suffer disproportionately more than older age groups. The causes behind this problem are complex, but it was certainly aggravated by a 10-year recession (from 1995 to 2005), precisely at the time when immigration flows were very strong. Even though the economy resumed growth in 2006, it was not at a sufficient rate to reduce the large number of unemployed, or to absorb the continual arrival of immigrants. The lack of necessary qualifications and skills also poses a barrier for young job seekers, especially for the poorest ones. Read more or join the discussion.
Submitted by Jorge Bela — Mon, 11/11/2013 – 00:00
বাংলাদেশের আর্থসামাজিক উন্নতির জন্য মহিলাদের অর্থনীতিতে অংশগ্রহণ প্রধান চাবিকাঠি। শহরাঞ্চলের মহিলারা বিশেষত যারা ঢাকায় বাস করেন, তারা প্রতিনিয়ত বিভিন্ন জটিল সমস্যার মুখোমুখি হন যেমন নারী সহিংসতা, অপুষ্টি এবং গর্ভকালীন শারীরিক জতিলতা; এসকল সমস্যার অন্যতম কারণ নারীদের অনেকসময়ই পরিবারের অর্থনৈতিক সিদ্ধান্ত নেয়া থেকে বঞ্চিত করা হয়। মহিলারা ঘরের সকল কাজ করে এবং ঘরের বাইরেও তাদের কাজের সুযোগ ও চাহিদা বেড়ে যাচ্ছে; কিন্তু এসকল কাজের বিনিময়ে তাদের উপযুক্ত মজুরি দেয়া হচ্ছে না। সুতরাং, বাংলাদেশ এবং অন্যান্য উন্নয়নশীল দেশের অর্থনৈতিক বৃদ্ধি নিশ্চিত করার জন্য অর্থনীতিতে মহিলাদের অংশগ্রহন অত্যন্ত প্রয়োজনীয় এবং তাদের অংশগ্রহণের জন্য যথাশীঘ্র প্রয়োজনীয় আইন তৈরি করা উচিত। Read more or discuss.
Finding ways to financially include women is one of the major keys to socio-economic development in Bangladesh. While women are usually responsible for household labor and increasingly for outside work and wages, they generally do not receive equal recognition or pay for their labor. In fact, according to a Food and Agricultural survey, only two percent of the women in Bangladesh own land, which is very low compared to other neighboring countries. Despite women’s notable representation in the workforce, their lack of access to land ownership is one of the fundamental barriers to financial stability. Financial inclusion is therefore a high-priority policy goal for Bangladesh in order to ensure stable and equitable economic growth. Read more or discuss.
Submitted by Editor — Mon, 10/28/2013 – 00:00
The poor live in precarious circumstances on a daily basis. Unexpected illnesses or job losses that would put a strain on any family often leave the poor on the brink. With no access to the formal banking system, microloans have not only served to help in emergency situations, but have actually helped these families to build up savings and gain access to important, life-saving products. The loans, mainly to women, have expanded in purpose and scope since Grameen launched its rural banking system in the 1990s. Today, microfinance institutions such as Samasta in Bangalore have used the women’s groups that form the basis of lending to focus loans on other important intervention areas, including insurance, home gas connections and water purifiers. Read more or join the discussion.
Submitted by Carlin Carr — Mon, 10/28/2013 – 00:00
In Kenyan communities that have little of the collateral needed to access credit, a common approach is to set up savings and investment associations known as “Chamas.” A Chama is an informal group, often composed of women, that follows a system by which everyone contributes money on a regular basis and in turn gets disbursed a fixed amount. The method evolved from the tradition of rural women grouping together and pooling their labor to work on each other’s farms. Read more or join the discussion.
Submitted by Katy Fentress — Mon, 10/28/2013 – 00:00
En el 2013 el Banco Mundial realizó un estudio junto con Global Findex (el Índice Global de Inclusión Financiera) confirmando grandes brechas de género en el tema de inclusión financiera. De acuerdo al Banco Mundial, las mujeres son 15 por ciento menos propensas de tener una cuenta bancaria, (la cifra es mayor en mujeres en condiciones de pobreza), lo que hace que este grupo sea muy vulnerable ante el tema. Este estudio demuestra que la inclusión financiera va más allá de la apertura de cuentas bancarias, como el acceso a sistemas de préstamo y ahorro, o el pertenecer a sistemas financieros formales que abren las puertas al ingreso proveniente de otras fuentes. Asli Demirguc-Kunt, Directora de Investigación del Banco Mundial afirma que “[s]in una cuenta, a las mujeres les cuesta más ahorrar formalmente y recibir subsidios gubernamentales o remesas de familiares que viven en el extranjero.” Las mujeres son el sustento de los hogares, por lo que la falta de inclusión financiera refleja poca independencia económica y dificultad al obtener ingresos por cuenta propia. Leer más o discutir.
In 2013, the World Bank conducted a study along with Global Findex (the Global Financial Inclusion Database) confirming the existence of large gender gaps with regard to financial inclusion. According to the World Bank, women are 15 percent less likely to have a bank account (the figure is higher for women living in poverty), making women as a whole more vulnerable to financial exclusion. This study demonstrates that financial inclusion is far more than just opening a bank account. It includes having access to borrowing and lending systems, and being a member of formal financial systems, allowing access to other sources of income. Asli Demirguc-Kunt, Investigative Director at the World Bank, stated that “without a bank account, women have a difficult time saving and receiving government subsidies or remittances from family members living abroad.” Women are the foundation of the home, so the lack of financial inclusion leads to a lack of economic independence. Read more or discuss.
Submitted by Maria Fernanda Carvallo — Mon, 10/28/2013 – 00:00
Jamaican youth are finding entrepreneurial opportunities in the $4 billion global ornamental fish market. The amenable local climate, visionary leaders, neighborhood collaboration, and raw personal initiative combine to pull young urbanites out of poverty. Read more.
Submitted by Tracey Grose — Tue, 10/01/2013 – 12:47
Manmohan Singh, India’s prime minister, speaking during India’s 66th independence day, admitted that the government has not done enough on skill building for India’s youth and announced the setting up of a national skill development agency (NSDA). Read more.
Submitted by Rakhi Mehra — Mon, 08/19/2013 – 05:52 