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<title>Itinera Institute - Issues - Poverty &amp; Inequality</title>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org</link>
<description>Itinera Institute - Issues - Poverty &amp; Inequality</description>
<image>
<url>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/web/sources/img/logo_itinera.jpg</url>
<title>Itinera Institute - Issues - Poverty &amp; Inequality</title>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org</link>
</image>
<copyright>Copyright 2008, Itinera Institute</copyright>
<language>en</language>
<pubDate>Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
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<title>The Global Gender Gap</title>
<description><![CDATA[ We hear a lot of talking on the wage disparities between men and women, about the low proportion of women in the higher political and economic realms, and about their growing access to education. But what is the actual situation today? This report from the World Economic Forum investigates gender inequalities in more than 115 countries, Belgium included.]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-global-gender-gap/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-global-gender-gap/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>Fight against poverty and battle against the middle class&#8217; economic progression</title>
<description><![CDATA[ How consistent is the war on poverty to high tax rates for low incomes?]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/fight-against-poverty-and-battle-against-the-middle-class-economic-progression/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/fight-against-poverty-and-battle-against-the-middle-class-economic-progression/</guid>
</item>
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<title>Brussels&#8217; economic paradox</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Economically, our capital seems to suffer from schizophrenia. On the one hand it accommodates the headquarters of Belgium’s most important businesses and the European institutions, but on the other hand Brussels is also known for its economic and social problems. This report gives an overview on Brussels’ key poverty indicators such as unemployment and housing, and notices that there are important differences between the municipalities of the Brussels region. Can this be related with the extra complicated fragmentation of competences in our capital city? ]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/brussels-economic-paradox/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/brussels-economic-paradox/</guid>
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<title>A new dismissal regulation is necessary</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Marc De Vos reacts against the demand of the employers’ organisation to limit the redundancy period for blue collar workers. We need a new dismissal regulation that promotes employability and where the redundancy period is only one pillar. Not higher or lower, but different, that is the message.]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/a-new-dismissal-regulation-is-necessary/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/a-new-dismissal-regulation-is-necessary/</guid>
</item>
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<title>In-work poverty is weak in Belgium</title>
<description><![CDATA[ This paper regards the incidence of in-work poverty and how it is reduced by the payment of social transfers in 20 European countries. Belgium appears as the country with the lowest pre-transfer in-work poverty and is ranked third regarding post-transfer in-work poverty. The paper attributes this to a high level of bargaining centralisation and to generous social benefits.]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/in-work-poverty-is-weak-in-belgium/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/in-work-poverty-is-weak-in-belgium/</guid>
</item>
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<title>The wage disparities progress</title>
<description><![CDATA[ According to this report from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the financial globalisation contributes to increasing the wage disparities. It argues that income disparities have increased, notably under the influence of "performance based payment systems”. Without surprise, Belgium shows wage gaps among the lowest in comparison with other advanced economies. Between 1990 and 2000, it is however the country which shows the strongest progress of the disparities, with Finland and Sweden. To be closely watched.]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-wage-disparities-progress/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-wage-disparities-progress/</guid>
</item>
<item>
<title>What are the effects of a flat tax?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ This IZA paper studies the effect of flat tax (referring to a tax with a single rate) reforms in Western Europe on income distribution and work incentives. The simulation of the authors shows that a revenue neutral flat tax with existing basic allowances improves labor supply incentives, but results in higher inequality. It also shows that under some conditions flat taxes may increase both equity and efficiency, but Belgium does not qualify for such statement.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/what-are-the-effects-of-a-flat-tax/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/what-are-the-effects-of-a-flat-tax/</guid>
</item>
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<title> What a glass of wine can do (to one&#8217;s health)</title>
<description><![CDATA[ To evaluate one’s health, insurance companies might need to ask what one’s daily consumption of wine is. Studies have indeed shown that wine consumption and health are closely correlated. The question however remains in what direction causality goes: is wine drinking healthy or are healthy people drinking more wine? Because wine consumption is associated to a balanced and comfortable lifestyle, the latter seems more accurate: the circumstances in which one grows lives and works determine one’s health and the possibilities to fight illness and disability. So not wine, but social position create health inequalities. This World Health Organisation report scrutinizes what can be done to promote health equity in different countries, including Belgium, and suggests three principles of action to closing the gap in one generation.]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 22 Sep 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/what-a-glass-of-wine-can-do-to-ones-health/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/what-a-glass-of-wine-can-do-to-ones-health/</guid>
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<title>Gifted children, unused potential</title>
<description><![CDATA[ At the moment, the attention paid to the wasted talents that are the exceptionally gifted children who got through the stitches of the net increases slightly. However, it is still very likely that a large number of them will drop out somehow during the school year 2008-2009.
In this report, we develop solutions proposals which rest on a systematic and premature detection. We demonstrate besides that such an investment is profitable on the short run and that there is thus no place for delay on this topic. Even in period of budgetary illness.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/gifted-children-unused-potential/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/gifted-children-unused-potential/</guid>
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<title>Family attention pays</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Inequality between young Americans is increasing. While the lucky ones get a college degree, the less fortunate ones, whose intellectual and socio-emotional capabilities aren’t equally developed, fight against inequality, in a part due to a lesser productivity on the labour market. For James J. Heckman (Chicago University) the environment in which these kids grow up is in part responsible for these social differences, which is why they need to be tackled right there. Today policies tend to focus on the intellectual capabilities of teenagers, while the focus should be on the young children because economically more profitable. Therefore, family plays a crucial part in the development of a child, and this is true not only for the U.S. but for every country in the world.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/family-attention-pays/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/family-attention-pays/</guid>
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<title>Health Policy makes a difference on the labour market</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Children from disadvantaged families lag behind their classmates in terms of general development. This decreases their chances of finding a decent job and may cause a vicious cycle to emerge. The traditional focus for narrowing this gap is on better schooling and closer monitoring. This paper on the other hand, shows that health policy can also be a powerful lever. Health problems occur more frequently with children from poorer families and have, when they arise, a more negative impact on the development of the child. 
One relevant policy issue surfaces in the mean time: in frameworks such as the valuable Marshall plan for Wallonia, it is probably better to foresee, in addition to fiscal and more general economic measures, a chapter on the health problems of disadvantaged children.]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Sep 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/health-policy-makes-a-difference-on-the-labour-market/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/health-policy-makes-a-difference-on-the-labour-market/</guid>
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<title>Ireland and its war on poverty</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Despite strong economic growth during the last years, Ireland still counts an important number of people who live in poverty, or who are at risk of poverty. This paper provides a detailed overview of the available options to eradicate poverty by 2016. In this regard, this paper provides an important benchmark for everyone who is concerned with the fate of approximately 1.5 million Belgians.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/ireland-and-its-war-on-poverty/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/ireland-and-its-war-on-poverty/</guid>
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<title>How consumption taxes can influence income distribution?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ This OECD article highlights that consumption taxes increase the difference between the highest and the lowest incomes. There are, however, important differences between countries. Surprisingly enough, it appears that Belgium is one of the countries where increasing consumption taxes would favour the rich the least. However, a more recent study of the Catholic University Leuven has shown that a decrease in direct taxes (on income or wealth for instance) and an increase in indirect taxes (like the VAT) would significantly raise inequality.  ]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/how-consumption-taxes-can-influence-income-distribution/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/how-consumption-taxes-can-influence-income-distribution/</guid>
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<title>Social fraud in social security</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Belgium is accumulating victories in its battle against social fraud. This is good for the state, and good for our social system.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 12 Aug 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/social-fraud-in-social-security/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/social-fraud-in-social-security/</guid>
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<title>Young Children are the Future</title>
<description><![CDATA[ What if there was a silver bullet to lower both crime and teen pregnancy rates and to make society both more productive and more equal, all at the same time? According to this paper, a policy that addresses the noncognitive skills of young children (perseverance, motivation, risk aversion, etc.), by focusing on family ties, could tackle all these problems in the most efficient way. With jam-packed prisons, growing number of poor people and the necessity to raise productivity to meet the demands of the ageing population and globalization, Belgian policy makers can probably not afford not even taking a look at this paper.]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/young-children-are-the-future/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/young-children-are-the-future/</guid>
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<title>The olympic choice</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Marc De Vos analyses the failure of the Doha-round and warns for the creeping malaise in economic globalisation. Will the world community continue on the path of an international legal order and common wealth creation?
]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-olympic-choice/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-olympic-choice/</guid>
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<title>How to improve social mobility?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ In this article, social mobility is not handled from the classical economic perspective of income groups but from the labour market participation perspective. The social hierarchy is thus based on the quality and sustainability of the job. The authors underline that by supporting people in their labour market achievements, policy makers will help to break up the walls to intergenerational and intragenerational social mobility.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/how-to-improve-social-mobility/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/how-to-improve-social-mobility/</guid>
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<title>The silver lining</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Marc De Vos hopes that the ongoing political troubles in Belgium will lead to a workable state and efficient government. He points out that the Flemish consensus for more devolution hides great differences on policy views. Policy reform, not devolution per se, is the only silver lining of the current institutional crisis.]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Jul 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-silver-lining/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-silver-lining/</guid>
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<title>Disadvantaged children: an effective intervention is an early one</title>
<description><![CDATA[ This IZA discussion paper pones that, if society intervenes early enough, it can improve cognitive and socio-emotional abilities and the health of disadvantaged children. These interventions are estimated to have high benefit-cost ratios and rates of return. As programs are currently configured, interventions early in the lifecycle of disadvantaged children have much higher economic returns than later interventions such as reduced pupil-teacher ratios, public job training, convict rehabilitation programs, adult literacy programs, tuition subsidies or expenditure on police.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/disadvantaged-children-an-effective-intervention-is-an-early-one/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/disadvantaged-children-an-effective-intervention-is-an-early-one/</guid>
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<title>Break the budgetary deadlock on ageing</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Marc De Vos argues for a policy strategy for new wealth creation and new social protection. Belgium is missing its appointment with demographic history and needs to do more than a minimalist budgetary policy.
]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/break-the-budgetary-deadlock-on-ageing/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/break-the-budgetary-deadlock-on-ageing/</guid>
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<title>Wealth and income: what relationship?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ This OECD report examines the correlation between family wealth and disposable income. More precise information on wealth will enable policies to be better targeted, especially knowing that the correlation between the two is not perfect, even if positive and strong.
]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/wealth-and-income-what-relationship/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/wealth-and-income-what-relationship/</guid>
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<title>Do poor children become poor adults?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ In this IZA paper, Dr. Corak suggests that income transfer is important for the protective purposes IN THE SHORT RUN but appears to have little impact on the future mobility of children. Instead, the focus should be on social investments across the life stages of child and youth life with a particular focus on post-secondary attendance and achievement. Canada has performed well in comparison to countries like Finland or Sweden and is far advanced in relation to the US and the UK.  It is high time our understanding of social mobility in Belgium would be based on facts and research than the current unsubstantiated belief in the superiority of our system.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jun 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/do-poor-children-become-poor-adults/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/do-poor-children-become-poor-adults/</guid>
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<title>It&#8217;s the economy, stupid!</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Marc De Vos sees insufficient economic growth as the root cause of the problems of purchasing power and low pensions. He notices a new Belgian paradox of insufficient means for our needs and too much expenditure for our capacity. Real policy reform is indispensable to stop further relative decline.]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jun 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/its-the-economy-stupid/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/its-the-economy-stupid/</guid>
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<title>Equality is a political choice</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Inequality is significantly related to fiscal and socio-economic choices. Europe is less unequal than the US because of the European social model with minimum wages, stronger unionisation and central wage mechanisms.  The intra-European variation is attributed to the different degree of redistributive policies. A mixture of policies can reduce inequality: redistributive taxation, a “flexicure” labour market, easier access to education, public housing and health services and a more inclusive immigration policy.
]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/equality-is-a-political-choice/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/equality-is-a-political-choice/</guid>
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<title>Inequalities affect subjective well-being</title>
<description><![CDATA[ This paper from the Social Science Research Center of Berlin compares the quality of life of given societies across time and space. According to the results, East European countries tend to have a rather low quality of life, while Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark form a cluster of countries with high quality of life. The paper also shows that most inequality dimensions affect people’s subjective well-being, but that some of the more materialistic inequality dimensions (such as income) tend to be less important in rich societies, while certain non materialistic dimensions (such as family) are getting more important.]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/inequalities-affect-subjective-well-being/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/inequalities-affect-subjective-well-being/</guid>
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<title>Why the minimum wage policy is an ineffective tool in reducing poverty</title>
<description><![CDATA[ The poverty rate, as measured by the number of people with net equivalence incomes below half the median income, has been increasing in recent years in Germany says this IZA publication. To prevent poverty among the working poor, introducing or increasing the minimum wage seems at first sight like a plausible cure. However, the authors found a weak link between low hourly wages and net household incomes, making the minimum wage policy a rather ineffective tool to combat poverty. This is due to the complex interactions between individual wages, the tax benefit system and net household incomes.]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/why-the-minimum-wage-policy-is-an-ineffective-tool-in-reducing-poverty/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/why-the-minimum-wage-policy-is-an-ineffective-tool-in-reducing-poverty/</guid>
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<title>European regional integration increased within country inequality</title>
<description><![CDATA[ This paper focuses on the net effect of regional integration on total income inequality in the European Union. According to the results of the study, regional integration remaps inequality in Europe: Regionalization is associated with both a decrease in between-country inequality, and an increase in within-country inequality. Overall, the evidence is that the net effect is negative, and that within-country inequality now comprises a larger proportion of total income inequality. However, this does not mean that regional integration should be blamed since it may have increased the overall size of the pie...
]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 23 May 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/european-regional-integration-increased-within-country-inequality/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/european-regional-integration-increased-within-country-inequality/</guid>
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<title>The Belgian social model is not  a model anymore</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Marc De Vos gives critical reflections on the unions and mutual funds call to maintain the so called “Belgian social model”. He points out that this model has been under existential pressure for over thirty years and that it can only survive through reform.
]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 02 May 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-belgian-social-model-is-not-anymore-a-model/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-belgian-social-model-is-not-anymore-a-model/</guid>
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<title>Controlling climate change: a hindrance to achieve the Millennium Development Goals?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Climate change can have a pernicious effect on development and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. Economic development risks to furhter increase environmental stresses. This paper wonders whether there is necessarily a trade-off between controlling climate change on the one hand and meeting the MDGs on the other. It is argued that there is no a priori conflict between the two, although it should also be recognised that the achievement of the MDGs will not necessarily depend on the control – or not – of climate change.  ]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/controlling-climate-change-a-hindrance-to-achieve-the-millennium-development-goals/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/controlling-climate-change-a-hindrance-to-achieve-the-millennium-development-goals/</guid>
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<title>Counting and Multidimensional Poverty Measurement</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Ever since the introduction of the Human Development Index (HDI) in the 70s, unidimensional poverty measurements almost belong to past. Despite its undisputable advantages, multi-dimensional thinking is still in an early stage and many problems are yet to be solved. This paper deals with the identification of the poor in a multidimensional setting; how can we aggregate across dimensions?  This paper introduces an intuitive – but yet technical! – approach to multidimensional poverty measurement and counting. ]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/counting-and-multidimensional-poverty-measurement/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/counting-and-multidimensional-poverty-measurement/</guid>
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<title>Food, oil and the kingdom of scarcity</title>
<description><![CDATA[ The food crisis, energy crisis as well as the credit crisis follow from the lower investments in risk minimization instruments. And therefore we are back in the age of scarcity.]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/food-oil-and-the-kingdom-of-scarcity/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/food-oil-and-the-kingdom-of-scarcity/</guid>
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<title>Educational inequalities among immigrants</title>
<description><![CDATA[ A precondition for immigrants’ integration is their point of departure for labour market success: their education and ability. Whereas most studies disguise the diversity within the immigrant population by focusing on average educational attainment of immigrants vis-à-vis natives, this paper examines educational inequalities among immigrants in eight high immigration countries. The results indicate that for almost all countries immigrants’ educational dispersion is considerably higher than for natives. In most countries immigrants’ high educational dispersion derives from a considerable group of 'worst' achieving immigrants who fall considerably behind 'worst' achieving native students.]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/educational-inequalities-among-immigrants/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/educational-inequalities-among-immigrants/</guid>
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<title>Guaranteed survival income trap threatens about 7,000 people in Ghent</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Families which must manage with an unemployment benefit, a guard compensation or a another replacement income, are frequently worse off than people who live from a guaranteed minimum income. According to a study of ACW-Ghent this is the case for about 7,000 people in Ghent. By means of examples it becomes clear how big the differences in monthly income can be. Many people just above the treshold to qualify for additional support whose people with a guaranteed minimum income get are actually worse off than these latter. The ACW-Ghent proposes to also give the former entitlements to additional support. The authors do not investigate whether or not this policy would increase the guaranteed survival income trap.
]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 21 Feb 2008 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/guaranteedsurvivalincometrapthreatensabout7000peopleinghent/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/guaranteedsurvivalincometrapthreatensabout7000peopleinghent/</guid>
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<title>Globalisation: panacea or pandemic?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Globalisation is a real phenomenon that both enraptures and divides public opinion. At the occasion of an international forum, Marc De Vos offers general perspectives on the components, the consequences, the challenges and the future of globalisation. Globalisation is neither panacea nor pandemic but at the bottom line a force for better health.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/globalisation-panacea-or-pandemic/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/globalisation-panacea-or-pandemic/</guid>
<enclosure url="http://www.itinerainstitute.org/upl/1/default/doc/Globalisation%2020-10-07.pdf" length="10538696" type="application/pdf" />
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<title>Richer but less equal?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Revenues inequalities are rising in Belgium. This finding is frequently coupled to globalization and the evolution through a knowledge economy in popular media. Is everything said or are there alternative explanations possible?]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/richer-but-less-equal-is-the-recent-rise-in-revenue-inequalities-a-statistical-construction/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/richer-but-less-equal-is-the-recent-rise-in-revenue-inequalities-a-statistical-construction/</guid>
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<title>No everybody is equal with respect to poverty</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Non-European inhabitants have a 30% chance to live in poverty here in Belgium. This is the result of a King Baudouin Foundation report which is the first one to draw a systematic picture of poverty among foreigners in Belgium. So far traditional stakeholders in poverty alleviation policy did not adequately take into account the growing relation between migration and poverty. We face an important challenge: how to prevent the emergence of a “poverty generation” and to improve relations between the different communities in Belgium.
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<pubDate>Tue, 23 Oct 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/no-everybody-is-equal-with-respect-to-poverty/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/no-everybody-is-equal-with-respect-to-poverty/</guid>
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<title>The richer you are, the longer you live!</title>
<description><![CDATA[ The more people earn, the longer they are likely to live. Analysing a broad swathe of data on several million pensioners, the authors of this study find large differentials in remaining life expectancy at age 65 across classes of lifetime earnings in Germany. More specifically, they put a lower bound of fifty percent (six years) on the difference from the lowest to the highest income group. Between the two extremes, life expectancy rises linearly in earnings. Despite lower overall mortality in West Germany than in East Germany, life expectancies are similar within income groups. The authors establish the relationship between higher income and higher life expectancy, but do not investigate the real causes of this relationship.]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Oct 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/high-income-pensioners-live-longer/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/high-income-pensioners-live-longer/</guid>
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<title>Can marketing help in the design of Belgian anti-poverty policy?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ This article illustrates how apparently minor situational factors determine economic decision making of the poor (but no only of the poor) and how the for-profit sector often and effectively (ab)uses these mechanisms. Examples include advertisements for expensive loans, supplementary warrants for TV and high interest credit cards. Whereas the private sector spends great amounts of money and attention on marketing, government and non-for-profits typically do not. The authors suggest that the public sector could stimulate positive options such as health diets, pension saving or prime-rate loans relatively low costs by using marketing tools of the private sector. The upshot is that substantial welfare changes may result from relatively minor policy interventions, and that insightful marketing might help in the design of such interventions.]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 24 Sep 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/marketing-in-aid-of-decision-making-among-the-poor/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/marketing-in-aid-of-decision-making-among-the-poor/</guid>
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<title>How poor are America&#8217;s poor?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ In 2005, the US Census Bureau counted 37 million ‘poor’ Americans. Very few of this heterogeneous group face material hardship. Official figures  learn that 43% of the US poor own their own three-bedroom homes, 80% have airconditioning, 75% has one car and 31% even owns two cars.]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 27 Aug 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/how-poor-are-americas-poor/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/how-poor-are-americas-poor/</guid>
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<title>Oldie but Goodie. Pensions in the US</title>
<description><![CDATA[ The Center for American Progress on pensions for low income groups in the United States and the role of social security.]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 16 Aug 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/oldie-but-goodie-pensions-in-the-us/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/oldie-but-goodie-pensions-in-the-us/</guid>
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<title>The American Dream is still alive</title>
<description><![CDATA[ The USA remains an example of successful immigration policy. While American politics are in turmoil over limiting immigration, the figures for upward economic mobility of immigrants in the US remain striking. A country that absorbs more than one and a half million of immigrants per year is still able to provide economic integration and strong upward mobility between generations. However, the growing number of low skilled immigrants presents a challenge to upward mobility.]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 01 Aug 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-american-dream-is-still-alive/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-american-dream-is-still-alive/</guid>
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<title>Economic Survey of France 2007</title>
<description><![CDATA[ In the recent OECD Economic Survey of France, the authors focus strongly on poverty, social exclusion and duality in the labour market. The impact of the education system on equity and growth is critically assessed. Several observations in this report are very relevant for Belgium.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 01 Jun 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/economic-survey-of-france-2007/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/economic-survey-of-france-2007/</guid>
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<title>Wages, Profits and Income Inequality: an Infernal Combination?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Marc De Vos nuances the recent controversy on wages, profits and income inequality.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 08 May 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/wages-profits-income-inequality-an-infernal-combination/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/wages-profits-income-inequality-an-infernal-combination/</guid>
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<title>Changes in the Economic Resources of Low-Income Households with Children</title>
<description><![CDATA[ The prevailing stereotype of the U.S. economy in the media is that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Do we observe this “richer-take-all” effect in reality? A new study of the U.S. Congressional Budget Office rebuts some of the popular claims on poverty in the U.S. ]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 01 May 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/changes-in-the-economic-resources-low-income-households-children/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/changes-in-the-economic-resources-low-income-households-children/</guid>
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<title>Poverty Among Migrants in Europe</title>
<description><![CDATA[ The horror state of immigrants in Belgium: over half of non-EU migrants live under the poverty threshold. Orsolya Lelkes from the European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research quantifies poverty among migrants in Europe.]]></description>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Apr 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/poverty-among-migrants-europe/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/poverty-among-migrants-europe/</guid>
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<title>Dreamland Europe</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Marc De Vos reflects on the European Lisbon strategy and wonders whether it is compatible with the official discourse for more income equality.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 16 Mar 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/dreamland-europe/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/dreamland-europe/</guid>
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<title>Has U.S. Income Inequality Really Increased?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ The media are rife with stories about rising income inequality. However, the public debate on poverty and inequality in the US highlights the difficulties to measure income inequality correctly. A correct societal debate does require a correct measurement of poverty and inequality. ]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Jan 2007 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/has-us-income-inequality-really-increased/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/has-us-income-inequality-really-increased/</guid>
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<title>Gender Inequality, Growth and Global Ageing</title>
<description><![CDATA[ The fight against inequality makes also economic sense. As a recent Goldman Sachs study shows, further reduction in labour market inequality between women and men can be a powerful tool for economic growth and against ageing. ]]></description>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Oct 2006 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/gender-inequality-growth-and-global-ageing/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/gender-inequality-growth-and-global-ageing/</guid>
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<title>UK National Plan on Social Inclusion 2006-2008</title>
<description><![CDATA[ The UK succeeded in reducing poverty by making work pay. The introduction of the National Minimum Wage and tax credits have lifted 2.4 million people out of relative poverty. More efforts are however needed. The document provides key choices for the essential renewal of the welfare state.]]></description>
<pubDate>Fri, 29 Sep 2006 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/uk-national-plan-on-social-inclusion/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/uk-national-plan-on-social-inclusion/</guid>
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<title>The Gender Pay Gap &#8212; Origins and Policy Responses</title>
<description><![CDATA[ The gender pay gap persists and requires a multi-dimensional policy response. This report for the European Commission presents a unique comparative review for 30 countries.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 18 Jul 2006 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-gender-pay-gap-origins-and-policy-responses/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/the-gender-pay-gap-origins-and-policy-responses/</guid>
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<title>Poor Ireland?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Ireland is widely known as the Celtic Tigre that has generated a true economic miracle. However, a recent report demonstrates that Ireland has the highest poverty rate in the entire European Union. Is the Irish miracle a myth? Marc De Vos analyses and nuances the diagnosis.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 27 Jun 2006 12:00:00 +0100</pubDate>
<link>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/poor-ireland/</link>
<guid>http://www.itinerainstitute.org/en/_paper/poor-ireland/</guid>
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