Category Archives: Economy

26Sep/22

Social factors and geopolitical tensions are the major cause of disruption in the mining sector, with ESG the top focus

ESG issues, geopolitics and climate change are the top three risks/opportunities facing mining and metals companies over the next 12 months, according to global mining leaders surveyed for the 15th edition of the EY Top 10 Business Risks and Opportunities for mining and metals in 2023. Continue reading

24Sep/22

Mini budget 2022: experts react to the new UK government’s spending and tax-cut plans

Phil Tomlinson, University of Bath; Andrew Burlinson, University of East Anglia; Catherine Waddams, University of East Anglia; Donald Hirsch, Loughborough University; Jean-Philippe Serbera, Sheffield Hallam University; Jim Watson, UCL; Jonquil Lowe, The Open University, and Steven McCabe, Birmingham City University

UK chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has just launched the biggest package of tax cuts in half a century. This will involve around £45bn of reductions for people and businesses by 2027 – 50% more than anticipated before the mini-budget announcement.

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24Sep/22

Mini budget: will Kwasi Kwarteng’s plan deliver growth?

Steve Schifferes, City, University of London

The UK economy has been dogged by slow growth for a long time. Combined with even slower growth in productivity, it has meant virtually no increase in living standards for the average family over the past decade.

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23Sep/22

Women sacrifice their health to shield families from spiking costs

  • Rising inflation is widening gender gaps, say charities
  • Women report skipping medical care to feed families
  • Campaigners sound alarm over government austerity measures

By Nita Bhalla

NAIROBI, Sept 22 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – When the pain started in Agnes Wachira’s chest almost six months ago, the Kenyan mother-of-three dismissed it as a symptom of the daily grind of working long hours hand-washing clothes in the narrow lanes of Nairobi’s Kawangware informal settlement.
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01Sep/22

South African tech entrepreneurs tackle digital divide in townships

  • Tech education taken to South Africa’s townships
  • WiFi access and apps could boost informal economy
  • But technology alone is not the answer, experts warn

By Kim Harrisberg

JOHANNESBURG, Sept 1 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Moss Marakalala was 11 when he first used a laptop at an after-school programme in Johannesburg, sparking an interest in technology that inspired him to provide young people like himself from South African townships with digital education. Continue reading

23Aug/22

Workplace romance: four questions to ask yourself before dating someone from the office

Chantal Gautier, University of Westminster

In the digital age, online dating and swiping right are the status quo for romance. Practically gone are the days of meeting “the one” in a pub. But what about flirting by the water cooler or over Zoom? The consensual office relationship has been both a romance trope and a taboo for decades.

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18Jul/22

The Cost of Living Crisis: The Human Impact

People around the world are facing increasing pressures on their day-to-day lives. Food, energy bills and living costs are rocketing as inflation reaches record levels due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and rising global instability.

The Thomson Reuters Foundation has spoken to people living in 18 countries around the world in an attempt to gauge the human impact of the crisis.
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08Jul/22

OPINION: Food crisis promises a global wave of unrest

Andrew Firmin is editor-in-chief at CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance, and one of the lead authors of the 2022 State of Civil Society Report.

For the past couple of weeks, mass protests have brought the South American nation of Ecuador to a standstill.
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04Jul/22

Formula for peak performance and staying power of family businesses revealed: Global report

Successful family businesses have common characteristics that drive their performance and continuity from one generation to the next, finds a new global report by KPMG Enterprise and the STEP Project Global Consortium. According to the report, three key characteristics help to sustain their success: a strong entrepreneurial orientation across the generations; family connection and attachment to the business; and ambitious next-generation leadership. Continue reading