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PAUVRETE - POVERTY 

. Changing poverty and changing antipoverty policies, M. Cancian and S. Danziger, Institute for Research on Poverty, Madison, Discussion paper, n° 1364-09, April, 43 p., (2009).

Résumé - Summary : Since the early 1970s, dramatic changes in the economy, demographic composition of the population, and in public policies have combined to reduce the antipoverty effects of economic growth. Because economic growth is now necessary, but not sufficient, to significantly reduce poverty, antipoverty policies must be expanded and reformed, especially in the aftermath of the severe recession that began in late 2007. The authors review three cross-cutting factors that shape the extent and nature of poverty and prospects for reducing poverty: the changing role of race and ethnicity in the labor market and society; changing gender roles that influence both trends in labor force participation of women and patterns of family formation and childbearing; and the recent history of social welfare programs and policies. They conclude by recommending a set of high priority antipoverty policies that are consistent with current trends in work effort, patterns of family formation, and continuing changes in how the globalized economy affects the employment and earnings prospects of less-educated workers. These policies focus on making work pay, helping parents balance work and family responsibilities, and raising the educational attainment of disadvantaged children. The authors also briefly summarize the other chapters in the forthcoming Changing Poverty volume.
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Etats-Unis / United States

. Child wellbeing and child poverty. Where the UK stands in the European table, Child Poverty Action Group, London, Spring, 11 p., (2009).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Europe

. Global relative poverty, L. Nielsen, International Monetary Fund, Washington, IMF working paper, n° 09/93, 18 p., (2009).

Résumé - Summary : The paper provides estimates of global relative poverty trends from 1970 onwards. Relative poverty is shown to have decreased significantly, but at the same time there has been a worsening poverty outcome among up to one billion of the world's poorest citizens. The paper also proposes a straightforward method for dividing an income distribution into classes of poor, rich, and middle-class.
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Données internationales / International data

 . La misura della povertà assoluta (2005-2007), Istat, Roma, 99 p., (2009).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Italie / Italy

. A new pension formula - for more fairness and less old-age poverty, F. Breyer and S. Hupfeld, Diw, Berlin, Weekly report, n° 8/2009, volume 5, 5 p., (2009).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Allemagne / Germany

. La povertà assoluta in Italia nel 2007, Istat, Roma, Statistiche in breve, aprile, 8 p., (2009).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Italie / Italy

. Social assistance and minimum income protection in the EU : Vulnerability, adequacy and convergence, K. Nelson, Luxembourg Income Study, Luxembourg, LIS working paper, n° 511, April, 38 p., (2009).

Résumé - Summary : In this paper social assistance developments are analyzed in a large number of EU member states, including European transition countries and the new democracies of southern Europe. The empirical analysis is based on the unique and recently established SaMip Dataset, which provides social assistance benefit levels for 27 countries from 1990-2005. It is shown that social assistance benefits have had a less favorable development than that of unemployment provision. Hardly any of the investigated countries provide social assistance benefits above the EU near poverty threshold. Social assistance benefit levels have not converged in Europe. Instead, divergence can be observed, which is mainly due to lagging developments in eastern and southern Europe.
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Europe

EMPLOI - EMPLOYMENT

. Canada's shrunken safety net: Employment insurance in the great recession, M. Mendelson, K. Battle and S. Torjman, Caledon Institute of Social Policy, Ottawa, April, 5 p., (2009).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Canada

. A good time for making work pay ? Taking stock of in-work benefits and related measures across the OECD, H. Immervoll and M. Pearson, Institute for the Study of Labor, Bonn, IZA policy paper, n° 3, April, 58 p., (2009).

Résumé - Summary : The twin problem of in-work poverty and persistent labour market difficulties of low-skilled individuals has been one of the most important drivers of tax-benefit policy reforms in OECD countries in recent years. Employment-conditional cash transfers to individuals facing particular labour-market challenges have been a core element of “make-work-pay” policies for some time and are now in use in more than half of the OECD countries. They are attractive because they redistribute to low-income groups while also creating additional work incentives. But like all social benefits, they have to be financed, which creates additional economic costs for some. This paper discusses the rationale for in-work benefits (IWB), summarises the main design features of programmes operated in OECD countries, and provides an update of what is known about their effectiveness in terms of reducing inequalities and creating employment. As policies aiming to promote self-sufficiency, wage subsidies and minimum wages share a number of the objectives associated with IWB measures. We review evidence on the effectiveness of minimum wages and wage subsidies and discuss links between these policies and IWBs. Finally, we outline some potential consequences of weakening labour markets for the effectiveness of make-work-pay policies.
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Pays de l'OCDE / OECD countries

. L’insertion par l’activité économique en 2007, M. Avenel, Dares, Paris, Premières synthèses, n° 17.2, avril, 11 p., (2009).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : France
 
. Unemployment compensation and high European unemployment : A reassessment with new benefit indicators, D. R. Howell and M. Rehm, Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis, New York, SCEPA working paper, n° 2009-9, April, 44 p., (2009).

Résumé - Summary :Generous unemployment benefits lie at the heart of the conventional explanation for persistent high unemployment. The effects of benefit generosity are more ambiguous in a broader behavioral framework in which workers get substantial disutility from unemployment controlling for income, and know that unemployment has scarring effects in the future. The micro evidence suggests modest effects of changes in generosity, but there are reasons to doubt that the impacts on national unemployment rates are consequential. The strongest evidence for the orthodox prediction comes from cross-country regressions on the OECD’s gross replacement rate (GRR), but we find little support in the pattern of annual changes in the GRR and the unemployment rate for OECD countries over the last three decades. We take advantage of newly released and much improved net replacement rate indicators from the OECD, which show little correlation with either the GRRs or with unemployment and employment rates. The evidence does not offer compelling support for the view that benefit generosity is at the root of high European unemployment
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Pays de l'OCDE / OECD countries

REVENU - INCOME

. Can more revenue be raised by increasing income tax rates for the very rich ?, M. Brewer and J. Browne, Institute for Fiscal Studies, London, IFS briefing note, n° 84, 27 p., (2009).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Royaume-Uni / United Kingdom

. Indexing the minimum wage : A vise on entry-level wages, Employment Policies Institute, Washington, 16 p., (2009).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Etats-Unis / United States

. Minimum wages in Europe : New debates against the background of economic crisis, T. Schulten, ETUI, Brussels, ETUI policy brief, Issue 2/2009, 7 p., (2009).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Europe

. Le point sur les faits nouveaux concernant le salaire minimum, Bureau International du Travail, Genève, Commission de l'emploi et de la politique sociale, Pour discussion et orientation, mars, 12 p., (2009).
English version "Update on minimum wage developments"
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Données internationales / International data

. Wage formation in the EU, European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, EIROline, Dublin, 37 p., (2009).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Europe

AUTRES DONNEES SOCIALES - OTHER SOCIAL ISSUES

. L'enseignement supérieur en Europe 2009 : Les avancées du processus de Bologne, Eurydice, Agence exécutive "Education, audiovisuel et culture", Bruxelles, mars, 78 p., (2009).
English version "Higher education in Europe 2009 : Developments in the Bologna process"
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Europe

. La "justice sociale", une notion polysémique dans le débat préélectoral allemand, S. Gouazé, Ifri, Paris, Note du Cerfa, n° 63, avril, 22 p., (2009).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Allemagne / Germany

. Welfare benefits and tax credits handbook, Child Poverty Action Group, London, 11th edition, 14 p., (2009).
Zone géographique / Geographical area : Royaume-Uni / United Kingdom