Future Development Reads: Inequality, universal basic income, and subsidy reform in MENA

Two interesting takes on inequality crossed my desk this week. One shows how foreign aid and fiscal federalism can complement each other in reducing inequality in Ethiopia. The other finds that inequality in distributing oil rents can cause the Dutch disease. 

Universal basic income continues to be discussed and debated. Australian economist Martin Ravallion claims arguments against UBI are straw men. I participated in a debate hosted by the Overseas Development Institute on whether the time has come for UBI. You can watch the video or listen to the podcast.

A new website on communicating economics offers “tools and tips on the world’s most misunderstood subject.” Meanwhile, economist Kate Raworth’s book, Doughnut Economics, proposes a new paradigm for “21st century economists.”

Finally, a book by some of my colleagues on subsidy reform in the Middle East and North Africa, published by Springer, is available to download free, thanks to the World Bank’s open knowledge policy.