Can extended paid family leave benefit both families and employers? New research on Brazil's Citizen Company Programme shows: 👩‍💼 Higher employment retention and earnings for mothers 🏥 Fewer infant hospitalizations 🎒 More kids in early education More: go.unu.edu/BbbuI

Extreme heat may do more than lower productivity. New research from India finds that hotter temperatures are associated with a smaller share of firm revenue going to workers, as firms shift towards more capital-intensive production. Read more: go.unu.edu/GU3HA

How can Mozambique maximize impact with limited resources? Mozambique Minister Salim Valá explains how the MOZMOD model guides public decision-making, showing who gains, who loses, and the effects on poverty & inequality. Read more: go.unu.edu/mvrpR

This week, in the midst of Southern African winter, together with African Union, we hosted the Statistics and Stata Bootcamp, kicking off the 2026 UNU-WIDER Winter School on Public Finance. We're looking forward to continuing in Addis Ababa in September! go.unu.edu/rLykL

Can a formal job level the playing field in Ecuador? This new blog explores how formal jobs account for higher mobility and lower gender gaps in Ecuador. But ethnic and regional inequalities persist, and access to formal jobs remains a challenge. 🔗 go.unu.edu/RWLJV

Most young Mozambican graduates find work, but often not the jobs they trained for. Blog by Sam Jones & Ricardo Santos highlights slow transitions, skills mismatches, and job quality challenges. 📖: go.unu.edu/El7fc Originally published in The Conversation Africa.

Rising cigarette consumption should not produce a shrinking tax base. Yet South Africa’s tax data shows taxed cigarette volumes, excise revenue, manufacturers’ sales and manufacturing jobs falling after 2015. New #SATIED research explores the gap. Read more: go.unu.edu/BK4rc

Why does the Latin America & Caribbean region experience high inequality despite major structural economic & social change in the past decades? Our hybrid seminar with @saldru.bsky.social provides insights into this issue. With Francisco Ferreira from the LSE 🔗https://bit.ly/4htdkeE

A single inequality number can hide different stories. WIID Explorer shows that the decline in global Gini since around 1990 has been driven largely by falling between-country inequality, while within-country inequality has remained comparatively stable. Explore the data: go.unu.edu/RPwbc

💼 UNU-WIDER is hiring in Maputo, Mozambique, for the following roles: 📌 Project Coordinator (PSA) 📌 Communications Associate (PSA) ✅ Fluency in English and Portuguese required ✅ Open to international applicants 👉 Learn more and apply by 20 August 2026: go.unu.edu/x5AD7

🌍 Global inequality has declined by some measures — but regional trends differ. The updated WIID Explorer lets users compare inequality across regions and over time, including the income share ratio between the richest 20% and the poorest 20%. Explore WIID: go.unu.edu/RPwbc

📊 Inequality is not one number. In a new blog, Heini Suominen and Rodrigo Oliveira explain how the latest update of the World Income Inequality Database (WIID) helps users navigate these differences and compare inequality across countries and over time. go.unu.edu/18MP2

📊 The new WIID update is here! Access data up to 2024. WIID brings together income inequality data for 201 economies, including historical entities, and now includes 27,173 observations. Explore the updated data, user guide, and version note: go.unu.edu/ZGu7b

🤝 Can negotiation training help rural communities secure better land and forest agreements? New UNU-WIDER blog research from Liberia finds that training community leaders improved their ability to identify mutually beneficial deals. 🔗 Read more: go.unu.edu/nrN7q

🔔 Reminder: The application deadline for the Research Associate (PSA) position at UNU-WIDER is approaching. 🌐 The position is based in Helsinki, Finland, and is open to applicants from around the world. 📅 Deadline: 22 July 2026, 23:59 (UTC+3) 🔗 go.unu.edu/VDa0O

🇿🇲 This week, UNU-WIDER joined the ICTD Forum on Tax Reform in Zambia, co-hosted with the Zambia Revenue Authority! Our Research Fellow, Dr Amina Ebrahim, contributed to discussions on building research capacity within revenue authorities and Ministries of Finance.

Post-conflict societies are not institutional blank slates. 📖 A new open-access volume from UNU-WIDER and Oxford University Press, Institutional Legacies of Violent Conflict, edited by Patricia Justino, is now available. 🔗 Read the book: go.unu.edu/dzslx

Why do many Egyptians feel inequality is high despite official stats? New research reveals: -59% of the rich stay rich; only 7% of the poor rise. -Connections matter more than location for job access. -57% of youth may earn less than their parents. go.unu.edu/fFwQQ

Today is UN World Youth Skills Day. How can education better support youth in gaining skills & finding sustainable jobs? Check out this insightful blog by Sam Jones, Elina Penttinen, & Michael Croft on the future of TVET in Mozambique ➡️ go.unu.edu/ak8qu

The Latin American Regional Conference on Modeling and Fiscal Policy in Quito yesterday showcased the recent advances in ECUAMOD, COLMOD, and PERUMOD, the SOUTHMOD microsimulation models from Ecuador, Colombia and Peru. A big thank you to FLACSO who hosted this very successful Conference!

Today in Lusaka, UNU-WIDER joined ZRA at the event From Tax Data to Tax Policy. The focus was on the importance of tax data for better policy design. Dr. Amina Ebrahim discussed how secure data labs can enhance research. Excited to continue our collaboration with ZRA! go.unu.edu/Qp25m

Is the gender pay gap born at home? We often link the gender pay gap to workplace factors, but new UNU-WIDER research suggests that family dynamics and sibling composition play a surprising role in shaping women’s economic futures. Read the full blog: go.unu.edu/kp7zo

Migration generates economic gains through remittances, productive investment and trade. A new UNU-WIDER Working Paper by John Rand deepens our understanding of the unintended financial consequences of global migration. 🔗Read the full paper: go.unu.edu/csGkK

UNU-WIDER will be in Quito, Ecuador, next week! We are co-hosting the Regional Conference Rethinking Fiscal Policy in Latin America with partners FLACSOSG and @lseimpactblog.bsky.social More about the Conference: go.unu.edu/4iwpt Stay tuned for more next week!

As the GTAC South Africa Public Economics Conference closes in Pretoria, one question remains: is South Africa tackling the right unemployment problem? UNU-WIDER’s Amina Ebrahim contributed across the three-day discussion. Watch: go.unu.edu/Kir4e #SATIED

🌍 Journal Article Alert! Check out the latest UNU-WIDER research on social assistance in Africa during crises published in Oxford Development Studies. 🔗 Read the open-access: go.unu.edu/Dvm3E 🔗 Oxford Development Studies: go.unu.edu/zWfgj

Alongside the 2026 UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, 7–15 July, a new UNU-WIDER Research Brief looks at what happens when climate shocks hit electricity systems that depend heavily on hydropower. 🔗 Read the brief: go.unu.edu/G2snl

How can countries raise more revenue while strengthening trust in government? Successful tax reform hinges on fairness, credibility, and stronger institutions. Learn more: go.unu.edu/80dH1

The latest 𝗪𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 celebrates 10 years of SOUTHMOD, enhancing tax-benefit models in the Global South! 🌍 Also, this issue explores: ♻️ Circular economy strategies 📈 Upper-bound poverty line 🏥 Global health cooperation 👉 Read more: go.unu.edu/n2ZQZ

🇬🇭 On 24 and 26 June, UNU-WIDER Research Associate Dr Kwabena Adu-Ababio participated in the International Data Masterclass organised by the Parliament of Ghana. Dr Adu-Ababio led a session on the GHAMOD tax–benefit microsimulation model for Ghana.