Emergence of new forms of work
?Standard employment??understood as regular, full-time, and subject to labour law?remains the prevailing form of employment in high-income countries, however, new forms of employment have been rapidly gaining ground since the early 2000s. While new forms of work enabled by digital technologies have rapidly been expanding in more advanced economies, they are also spreading to emerging economies, where the effects on the labour markets are likely to be different. For instance, studies show that platform work, one of the new forms of work, has the potential to increase employment opportunities, promote formalization, and reduce gender gaps in emerging economies.…
UN/DESA Policy Brief #113: Digitally enabled new forms of work and policy implications for labour regulation frameworks and social protection systems
The Smooth Transition Strategy (STS) guidance note, developed by the CDP Secretariat, is in response to the recommendations of the General Assembly and the follow-up actions proposed by the CDP on strengthening smooth transition measures and dedicated capacity building to help graduating and graduated countries prepare their STS. It also informs graduating least developed countries (LDCs) and their development partners about the best way to assist such countries following graduation.
A national STS prepared by a graduating least developed country (LDC) in cooperation with development and trading partners and with targeted assistance…
Smooth Transition Strategy Guidance Note
Is unconventional monetary policy reaching its limits?
Since the beginning of the twin public health and socioeconomic crises caused by COVID-19, central banks around the globe have implemented far-reaching monetary policies to calm panicky markets, stimulate economic activity, and boost inflation. Just like after the global financial crisis of 2007?08, unconventional monetary policy has played a crucial part in the response to COVID-19. Developed country central banks, for one, have purchased trillions worth of assets through their central banks? quantitative easing (QE) programmes. But the pandemic has also marked a turning point for monetary policy among developing countries. For the…
World Economic Situation And Prospects: September 2021 Briefing, No. 153
As the world enters the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is abundantly clear that this is a crisis of monumental proportions, where millions of lives have been lost and the human and economic toll has been unprecedented. Recovery efforts so far have been uneven, inequitable and insufficiently geared towards achieving sustainable development. The current crisis is threatening decades of development gains, further delaying the urgent transition to greener, more equal and inclusive economies, and throwing progress on the SDGs even further off track.
Had the paradigm shift originally envisioned in the SDGs been fully embraced, the world would have been better prepared to face the crisis…
UN/DESA Policy Brief #110: Time for transformative changes for SDGs: what the data tells us
I. Introduction
The past year (2020-21) has been one of global crises on many fronts, from the far-reaching impacts of COVID-19 pandemic to wildfire1 outbreaks of an unprecedented scale and duration. In Australia, bushfires in 2019-2020 were one of the worst bushfire seasons in history (Government of Australia, 2020). In the United States, the West Coast wildfires reached record highs in 2020 (GLF, 2020). In the Amazonian and Siberian regions, wildfires in 2020 were the worst experienced in a decade (Newdaily, 2020). In early 2021, Nepal experienced one of the country?s worst wildfire seasons in almost a decade (Phys.org News, 2021).
All of these wildfires took a heavy toll on people and…
UN/DESA Policy Brief #111: Wildfires ? a growing concern for sustainable development
Ongoing and emerging global trends, such as globalization, new technologies, the rise in global inequality, demographic shifts, climate change and threats generated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, will dramatically impact societies and individuals of all ages, and will determine the nature and future of work.
At a time of persistent inequalities, an inclusive future of work is fundamental for sustainable development, ending poverty and leaving no one behind. Population ageing influences economic growth and labour force participation, and the share of persons aged 65 years and over in the labour force at the global level is estimated to continue the current upward trend in the coming…
UN/DESA Policy Brief #112: Harnessing longevity in the future of work
Spillover effects of US monetary policy in developing economies
Economic activity is bouncing back in several countries, supported by increased government spending, stimulatory monetary policy, health and border measures to limit COVID-19 infections and deaths, and the rollout of vaccines. In recent weeks, most countries have seen an uptick in the number of COVID-19 infections, associated with the rise of a new, more transmissible variant. Yet, countries with higher vaccination rates have been able to gradually reopen their economies as reflected in increased consumer demand and prices (figure 1).
US in the lead
Pent-up US demand, underpinned by federal stimulus and pandemic-fuelled savings…
World Economic Situation And Prospects: August 2021 Briefing, No. 152
The fourth in a series of annual analyses of voluntary national reviews (VNRs) by the Committee for Development Policy (CDP), this paper analyses the 2020 reports. It consists of an introductory chapter with general conclusions and recommendations for consideration by governments and other stakeholders participating in future VNRs; and a short series of authored thematic chapters. The document revisits issues addressed in the previous editions, such as the pledge to leave no one behind, inequalities, gender inequality, COVID-19 and pandemic preparedness, and SDG 17, and includes new topics of analysis, such as how countries have treated the issue of structural transformation and sustainable…
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Download Frontier Technology Issues: Lithium-ion batteries: a pillar for a fossil fuel-free economy? (PDF)
Introduction
In 2019, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to three scientists for the development of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries that, according to the Academy, have laid the foundation for a fossil fuel-free economy. Li-ion batteries can safely store large amounts of energy, ensuring stable and predictable flows of electricity even in decentralized immobile (i.e., stationary) or mobile modes in remote areas. The increasing popularity of passenger electric vehicles and electric buses is largely a result of the capacity improvement of Li-ion…
Frontier Technology Issues: Lithium-ion batteries: a pillar for a fossil fuel-free economy?
Introduction
In his report to the 59th Commission for Social Development on the priority theme of socially just transition towards sustainable development (E/CN.5/2021/3), the Secretary- General pointed out that ?By adopting the 2030 Agenda, world leaders recognized that the current trajectory of economic development has not led to shared prosperity for all, but to high and rising inequalities in many countries, the climate crisis, and unsustainable consumption and production patterns. These consequences have taken a toll on social development and people?s well-being, especially among the most vulnerable.? The Report further analyzed the link between high inequality, consumerism and…
UN/DESA Policy Brief #109: Accelerate action to revamp production and consumption patterns: the circular economy, cooperatives and the social and solidarity economy
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