Inequality in Income, Wealth, and Consumption Trends in the Western Balkans

2021 ◽  
pp. 246-267
Author(s):  
Zsóka Kóczán ◽  
Sara Savastano
Keyword(s):  
Job Security ◽  
Western Balkans ◽  
Unemployment Rates ◽  
High Unemployment ◽  
Persistent Unemployment

This chapter looks at income, consumption, and inequality trends in the Western Balkans, a region still coping with incomplete transition and the legacies of the boom-bust cycle, as most clearly reflected in still-high unemployment rates. The chapter thus presents trends in inequality in the broader context of persistent unemployment and perceptions of high and rising inequality. It is fundamentally a story of transition, the process, still unfinished, of moving from a system with an ‘employer of last result’ and resulting job security, to one with income gains for at best some parts of the population, but widening inequality and increasing uncertainty, translating into reform fatigue and general feelings of discontent with the process of transition.

Deproletarianization in the Peri-Urban Interface: Transforming Labor Relations in Polokwane, South Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 44-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Smith
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Labor Relations ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Unemployment Rates ◽  
High Unemployment ◽  
Surplus Labor ◽  
Job Opportunities ◽  
Persistent Unemployment

High unemployment rates and the search for job opportunities are defining characteristics of the modern day South African economy. As apartheid era labor and land controls continue to break down, many households find themselves searching for work in an economy characterized by surplus labor. Examining high unemployment rates through the theoretical lens of deproletarianization provides an explanation of persistent unemployment and poverty more complex and complete than others. Research conducted in Polokwane, South Africa demonstrates increasing peri-urbanization as a physical manifestation of these changing labor relations. 1In an era dominated by global capitalism, theoretical engagements help explain household poverty, the failure of South Africa's economy to absorb excess labor, and how persistent unemployment contributes to a recon-figuration of space in South Africa's urban and peri-urban areas. The research team used a combination of qualitative semi-structured interviews and quantitative surveys to gain insight into household livelihoods and individual experiences. The deproletarianization argument applied here asserts that labor has become unfree in South Africa and represents a new form of labor discipline. Through the deproletarianization thesis, the labor market can be better understood to inform future unemployment and poverty research in South Africa.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Impact of International Monetary Fund Programs on Economic Performance of Kenya

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 159
Author(s):  
Henry Kerich
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
International Monetary Fund ◽  
Economic Performance ◽  
Structural Adjustment ◽  
Balance Of Payments ◽  
Unemployment Rates ◽  
High Unemployment ◽  
Structural Adjustment Programs ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Adjustment Programs

<p>Like most other countries in developing countries, Kenya faces economic challenges as it tries to stabilize its balance of payments, reduce external debts and curb high unemployment rates.  Structural adjustment programs (SAPs) are defined as economic programs mainly set for developing countries supported by the Bretton Woods institutions since the beginning of 1980s. As a result of prolonged balance of payments deficits, high unemployment rates and high debts, brought about by poor economic performance, the country has turned to International Monetary Fund for credit assistance. This research sought to examine if there was a relationship between structural adjustment programs and economic performance in Kenya. The results in this study revealed a significant correlation between IMF structural adjustment programs and economic performance in Kenya. The findings showed that the three dependent variables analyzed notably, balance of payments, debts, and unemployment showed a strong correlation with IMF structural adjustment programs.</p>

scholarly journals Employment Instability and High Unemployment Rates

1976 ◽  
Vol 1976 (1) ◽  
pp. 169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen T. Marston ◽  
Martin Feldstein ◽  
Saul H. Hymans
Keyword(s):  
Unemployment Rates ◽  
High Unemployment ◽  
Employment Instability

Housing Property as a Major Dispute over Power and Allocation of Rights in Post-War Kosovo: A Legal Plurality Case?

2007 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 663-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgia Kretsi
Keyword(s):  
Economic Crisis ◽  
International Intervention ◽  
Unemployment Rates ◽  
High Unemployment ◽  
Post War

While a large number of Kosovo Albanians before the war longed for international intervention in their province, after the “national victory” social and economic grievances put an end to the illusion of a “great” future in a “free” Kosovo. High unemployment rates as well as property and housing became the most vital issues for a majority of the Kosovar population. For minorities such as the Roma, Ashkali, Egyptians, and Serbs, issues of security and future integration in an eventually independent, Albanian-dominated country were added to the general economic crisis and to the difficulties of repossessing properties lost as a result of the war.

scholarly journals “For better or worse”? A frame analysis of BRICS activities by digital journalists in South Africa

Lumina ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-19
Author(s):  
Tshuma Lungile Augustine
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
South African ◽  
Frame Analysis ◽  
Constant Power ◽  
Good Opportunity ◽  
Unemployment Rates ◽  
High Unemployment ◽  
Trade Relations ◽  
News Websites

This paper seeks to examine the discourse on BRICS that are framed by digital journalists in South Africa. South Africa has been going through an uneasy economic path characterised by high unemployment rates, constant power cuts, and their economy relegated into a ‘junk status’. Against this background, BRICS presents a good opportunity for the country to negotiate and address some of its challenges/problems with other economic super-powers within the economic block. This paper comes against a background of silent research on BRICS yet the block has developed into an economic hub which other developing countries benefiting from it for the development of their economies. I therefore argue that South African digital journalists from the country’s leading news websites, News24 and Daily Maverick, are framing BRICS in a manner in which it reflects the socio-economic and political problems affecting the country.  Hence, the study had sought to find out the images of BRICS among the journalist and also information, events, and activities that are being prioritized in reference to South Africa’s challenges. Findings have shown that BRICS is benefiting South Africa. The benefit is seen through trade relations that are framed as having been improved while there are also other potential areas of cooperation that should be utilised.

‘Alien’ Seamen in Liverpool

1999 ◽  
pp. 76-87
Author(s):  
Diane Frost
Keyword(s):  
First World War ◽  
Social Conditions ◽  
World War ◽  
Unemployment Rates ◽  
High Unemployment ◽  
The First World War ◽  
First World

‘‘Alien’ Seamen in Liverpool’ describes the experience of Kru seafarers in UK ports, and compares the Liverpool seafaring experience against that of Freetown. The chapter presents the varying expectations of African seamen against those of white seamen, accompanied with a comparison of wage and treatment. Frost foregrounds the looming concern over the employment of foreign seamen in Liverpool, and describes how the decreased social conditions and high unemployment rates after the First World War contributed to the colonial black seamen’s sense of blame and position as a scapegoat.

Bridging Troubled Times

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irina Nalis ◽  
Bettina Kubicek ◽  
Christian Korunka
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Conceptual Model ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Career Path ◽  
Career Adaptability ◽  
Working Population ◽  
Demographic Differences ◽  
Unemployment Rates ◽  
High Unemployment

Abstract. The current labor market has produced manifold crises with high unemployment rates and increasing worklife dynamics. Adaptability and identity are metaskills that enable the learning process necessary to overcome obstacles on the career path. The contribution of this review lies in its focus on the question of whether the metaskills of career adaptability and identity can serve to bridge troubled times for everyone in the working population. This review provides a conceptual model of a “decent career” that acknowledges challenging circumstances based on demographic differences (e. g., age, ethnicity, sex) or structural conditions (e. g., economic crisis) and the antecedents necessary to foster individual skills that serve various beneficial outcomes.

Unemployment in South Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 134-156
Author(s):  
James Heintz ◽  
Karmen Naidoo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Employment Outcomes ◽  
Institutional Factors ◽  
Trade Policies ◽  
Macroeconomic Policies ◽  
Employment Opportunities ◽  
Unemployment Rates ◽  
High Unemployment ◽  
Policy Choices

South Africa has exhibited sustained high rates of open unemployment since the end of apartheid, when reliable statistical measurements became available. The lack of decent employment opportunities contributes to ongoing social and economic inequalities. This chapter examines the reasons behind the country’s high unemployment rates. After a brief analysis of unemployment trends and patterns, it discusses alternative explanations of South Africa’s employment problems, with a focus on structural causes arising from historical and institutional factors. The chapter also examines how policy choices post-apartheid have affected employment outcomes, including macroeconomic policies, trade policies, and labour market policies.

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