How the pregnancy penalty supercharges global inequality

Anthony Kamande Gender, Rights, Women's Economic Empowerment

In a blog for International Women’s Day, new parent Anthony Kamande reflects on the heavy cost his partner and family have paid for the simple act of having a baby. The world, and especially its poorer countries, needs a pregnancy rights revolution, he says, and international funders such as the IMF must play their part.

It’s time for the World Bank to show it truly cares about unpaid care

Fiana Arbab Gender, Influencing, Women's Economic Empowerment

The next funding cycle for the World Bank’s International Development Association could top $100bn – and, says Fiana Arbab, we must keep a close eye on the fraction of that being committed to transforming the lives of the billions of women doing care work.

After half a century of misguided policies, here’s how the World Bank and IMF can work for the poor…

Anthony Kamande Debt, Economics, Events

It’s time both the World Bank and IMF abandoned the short-term fixes and austerity that have repeatedly failed people in developing countries, says Anthony Kamande. With their joint annual meetings back on African soil for the first time in five decades, he sets out six ways both institutions can make real and lasting change: from debt restructuring to encouraging social spending and taxes on the wealthiest.

We need to talk about inequality in West Africa

Mohamadou Fadel Diop Economics, Events, Inequality

As the African Union and regional economic communities gather to discuss their economies, the gulf between the rich and the rest in West Africa needs to be top of the agenda, says Mohamadou Fadel Diop – and that conversation must give serious attention to inequality-busting policies such as reversing austerity and debt cancellation.

Austerity is not the answer to Africa’s colliding crises: it’s time to invest massively in public services and decent jobs

Anthony Kamande Debt, Inequality, Research

Our continent faces droughts and spiking prices that are pushing millions into hunger and poverty, a debt crisis and the ongoing pandemic. So why are countries cutting billions in spending? Anthony Kamande introduces a new Oxfam Pan Africa briefing based on our index that scores governments on how committed they are to cutting inequality

An IMF that promotes gender equality? A long road lies ahead…

Sargon Nissan Gender, Her Series, Participation and Leadership, Women's Economic Empowerment

How can global institutions ensure tackling women’s economic empowerment is done in the most effective way? Sargon Nisson from the Bretton Woods Project, argues that the IMF could think differently. Gender is rising up the agenda of economic policy making. This year we have seen a step-change in how global economic institutions consider women’s economic empowerment. However the nature of …