A partnership with academia

From Digitalization to Development

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Wednesday, 15 May 2019 11:22

Gül Unal

The rapid spread of ecommerce across the world is forcing governments to adopt more coherent policies on how—and when—to tax digital transactions. On April 29, experts gathered at World Trade Organization headquarters in Geneva to discuss the current moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions. (Since 1998, the WTO has established a work programme “to examine all trade-related issues relating to global electronic commerce, including those issues identified by Members”.

GLOBAL GREEN NEW DEAL: JOIN US FOR A LIVE STREAMED PANEL DISCUSSION, CALL FOR PAPERS, AND INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL IN RUSSIAN BUSINESS 2019

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Wednesday, 10 April 2019 10:22

Gül Unal

The Vi is pleased to share with you an upcoming event that the Vi has been part of, and to extend an invitation from one of our members for a summer school in Russia, and invite you to submit your research for publication in Trans National Corporations journal of UNCTAD.

Live streamed panel discussion: A New Multilateralism for Shared Prosperity

Vi has been working closely with Boston University’s Global Development Policy Center on a project to discuss challenges of multilateralism and come up with an alternative set of principles for a new deal; “Geneva Principles for a Global Green New Deal”.

The multilateral system that was built in response to depression and war is in crisis.The 21st century has been marked by financial instability, rising inequality, and a climate breakdown that has given rise to populist forces that are pushing the system to its utmost limit. In this forum, thought leaders of international economics and development will discuss the current crisis of multilateralism and offer alternatives for a better future.

Please join us for a panel discussion, which is hosted by Boston University's Global Development Policy Center and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development on April 12, 2019 from 8:30-10am (Eastern Standard Time Zone).

From the Virtual Institute: Happy (belated) International Women’s Day!

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Wednesday, 20 March 2019 15:22

Gül Unal

Here’s to a future where there will be no need to remind the public and policymakers to guarantee women’s rights but only a need to celebrate past victories toward gender equality.

Alas, such a future remains a distant prospect; and against a wider backdrop of persistent austerity and rising economic inequality the challenge of gender equality is getting harder still. Globally, labor’s share of total income has declined steadily in recent decades, while the share going to capital has risen (Figure 1) ; decent work has become increasingly hard to come by for many and job insecurity has become the norm in today’s global capitalism, a trend epitomized by the “gig economy.”

The Fall of Microcredit, and the Rise of Universal Basic Income - UNCTAD launches two new books

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Friday, 16 November 2018 15:22

Gül Unal

The impetus for “microcredit”—the extension of very small business loans to impoverished borrowers who often lack collateral, steady employment, or a credit history—was mainstream finance’s unwillingness to deal with the poor, which, in turn, was widely believed to perpetuate the cycle of poverty. When Bangladesh was hit by famine in 1974, Mohammad Yunus, an economics professor, popularized the concept with the launch of his now-famous Grameen Bank. For his efforts, Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. But just how successful has microcredit been in breaking the poverty trap in developing countries?

Latest Vi online course trains 97 in 44 countries

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Friday, 09 November 2018 11:10

Susana Olivares

The Virtual Institute online course on Economic Analysis of Non-Tariff Measures(NTMs), funded by the Government of Finland, was held September 3 - October 21. Ninety-seven academics, researchers and government officials from 44 countries successfully completed the course.

“The depth of the course in terms of fully explaining and illustrating concepts went beyond my expectations,” said Faith Melico Zimunya, of Botswana’s Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security.