2008
UNU Research & Policy Briefs
Briefs are listed with latest at top.
Policy Brief No. 4
Poverty Reduction in China: Is High Growth Enough?
Poverty Reduction in China: Is High Growth Enough?
(296 KB PDF)
中文 (Chinese)
中国的反贫困：仅有高经济增长够吗？ (528 KB PDF)
By Guanghua Wan
The slowdown and in some years reversal of poverty reduction in China forcefully demonstrates that growth is not sufficient for combating poverty even if that growth is of unprecedented magnitude. Policy initiatives should take into consideration inequality, especially urban-rural disparity. This Policy Brief provides a summary of the research findings from UNU-WIDER’s project on Inequality and Poverty in China. It also offers policy recommendations for tackling the poverty-growth-inequality inter-relationships in the short- and long-run. In particular, it is suggested that the only long-run policy option for the Chinese government is to encourage urbanization.
Policy Brief No. 3
The Human Rights Regime in the Americas
The Human Rights Regime in the Americas
(148 KB PDF)
By Vesselin Popovski, Nicholas Turner, Thomas Karl Wagner and Greg Lowden
This policy brief examines the context, development and future of the human rights regime in the Americas—a region where people in many states have suffered brutal repression on a massive scale. It argues that the changing nature of human rights violations in Latin America demands a refocusing of international and domestic policies, building state capacity and improving the implementation of judicial reforms. The significant progress achieved in protection of civil and political rights should inspire and guide strategies to promote economic, social and cultural rights.
Policy Brief No. 2
Political Parties in Conflict-Prone Societies: Encouraging Inclusive Politics and Democratic Development
Political Parties in Conflict-Prone Societies
(184 KB PDF)
By Benjamin Reilly, Per Nordlund and Edward Newman
There is a growing trend for developing democracies to attempt to shape their party systems by regulating the way parties can form, organize and behave. This policy brief surveys attempts at party regulation and considers how to promote stable, non-sectarian political parties—an essential component of democracy—whilst also allowing free political expression and minority representation.
Policy Brief No. 1
Can We Eradicate Hunger?
Can We Eradicate Hunger?
(192 KB PDF)
By Basudeb Guha-Khasnobis
World hunger is prevalent yet receives relatively less attention compared to poverty. The MDGs have taken a step to address this with the resolution of halving the number of starving people in the world by 2015. A substantial and sustainable reduction in hunger will also greatly improve the chances of meeting the MDGs related to poverty reduction, education, child mortality, maternal health, and disease.
Hunger though is not a straightforward problem of producing enough to feed the world's population; it has many cross-cutting dimensions. This study addresses a combination of economic, social, and political perspectives, drawing upon academic research of the economic factors and the experiences of international organizations and civil society.
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