Global Inequality Research Articles

Internationalization of Higher Education and Emerging National Rationales: Comparative Analysis of the Global North and South

AbstractThis paper provides a comparative analysis of national rationales to higher education internationalization in the global north and south countries using content analysis. The results reveal that the socio-economic rationales are dominant across most of the 27 sampled countries. However, they manifest differently across the global north and global south as countries interpret the benefits and effects of internationalization in line with their national priorities. These variations are being shaped by an increasingly complex, competitive, and multipolar higher education internationalization landscape with new global south actors acquiring agency despite the deepening global inequalities. As a result, political rationales are becoming an important driver to internationalization. The current geopolitical environment associated with global conflicts, health pandemics, and increased nationalistic, anti-immigrant, and anti-globalization sentiments is also adding more uncertainty and complexity. Due to increased concerns about this multipolar and self-centred internationalization, a few countries are starting to promote inclusive approaches to internationalization.

Tax havens reexamined: The impact of global digital tax reforms on international taxation

This review delves into the evolving landscape of tax havens in the wake of comprehensive digital tax reforms. This study scrutinizes the implications of global efforts to address tax evasion and profit shifting, particularly in the context of the digital economy. With the proliferation of digital services and cross-border transactions, traditional tax frameworks have struggled to capture the economic activities of multinational corporations operating in cyberspace. Consequently, tax havens have emerged as facilitators of aggressive tax planning strategies, exacerbating global tax inequalities and eroding fiscal sovereignty. Against this backdrop, the study analyzes the efficacy and repercussions of recent digital tax reforms spearheaded by international organizations and individual nations. It examines the implementation challenges, compliance burdens, and potential loopholes associated with these reforms. Moreover, the research evaluates the impact of digital tax measures on the behavior of multinational enterprises, exploring their responses in terms of tax planning strategies and business models. Furthermore, the study investigates the broader implications of digital tax reforms on international taxation dynamics, including their influence on tax competition, investment flows, and economic development. Special attention is paid to the implications for developing countries, which often bear the brunt of revenue losses resulting from profit shifting to tax havens. By synthesizing empirical evidence, policy analysis, and theoretical insights, this study offers a comprehensive reevaluation of tax havens in the digital age. It sheds light on the complex interplay between technological advancements, regulatory frameworks, and global economic dynamics shaping contemporary tax landscapes.

Primate conservation: A public issue?

Nonhuman primates (primates) are one of the most endangered mammalian taxa in the world. In the Global North, primates are considered exotic species and, as such, humans' impact on primate conservation and responsibility to protect primates is often ignored. This view differs from the spectrum of relations and attitudes of humans that live in connection to primates, which can include viewing these animals as culturally/religiously significant, cohabitors of forests, nuisances, or sources of protein. While conservationists argue that primates deserve our protection, the conservation crisis facing primates is rarely framed as a public issue, in contrast to other global crises, such as climate change. However, over half of the world's human population lives within 100 km of primate habitat. Thus, humans and primates share the same environments. We suggest leveraging a holistic approach, such as One Health, that considers the interconnectedness of primates, humans, and their shared environments, through the lens of public anthropology. By approaching primate conservation as an intersectional issue that affects and is affected by humans, researchers and conservationists can identify strategies that simultaneously protect primates and address global inequities that frequently affect people in primate range countries. Reflexive research practices further allow academics to consider the broader impact of their ecological research through means such as publicly accessible dissemination of results, equitable capacity-building of high-quality personnel in primate range countries, and social activism. The use of inter-, multi-, and transdisciplinary concepts and methodology can address the intersectional challenges associated with implementing ethical and sustainable primate conservation measures.

Harmonious entrepreneurship: a sustainable model for addressing global inequality

Purpose This study aims to develop an entrepreneurial business model capable of addressing and preventing the exploitation and inequality that traditionally have resulted from entrepreneurship, particularly in emerging economies. Design/methodology/approach The research uses systems thinking, the first law of cybernetics, and the principles of harmony to formulate a systemic solution to the problem, which it exemplifies via six purposefully selected short cases drawn from diverse industry sectors and economies. Findings This paper demonstrates how the conventional model of entrepreneurship, often associated with colonial exploitation and resultant inequalities, can be transformed into a triple bottom line model—harmonious entrepreneurship – that integrates the traditional economic, eco-, humane, and social approaches and creates a synergy where profit, planet, and people are in harmony. The model challenges the profit maximisation/shareholder value doctrine of business success. Research limitations/implications Only six cases are presented here, and there is a need for further research in different political-economic contexts and industry sectors. Also, the way entrepreneurship is taught needs to change so that it addresses the sustainability challenge in general and the problem of inequality in particular. Practical implications There needs to be a change in the entrepreneurial mindset and the way entrepreneurship is taught and potential entrepreneurs are trained if entrepreneurship is to address the sustainability challenge in general and the problem of inequality in particular. Originality/value This is a novel approach to the study of entrepreneurship and its impact on inequality that shows how it can ameliorate and/or prevent inequality, particularly in emerging economies, by adopting a more holistic approach to business success and supplanting “having and needing” with “being and caring”.

Inequality in economic shock exposures across the global firm-level supply network

For centuries, national economies have been engaging in international trade and production. The resulting international supply networks not only increase wealth for countries, but also allow for economic shocks to propagate across borders. Using global, firm-level supply network data, we estimate a country’s exposure to direct and indirect economic losses caused by the failure of a company in another country. We show the network of international systemic risk-flows. We find that rich countries expose poor countries stronger to systemic risk than vice-versa. The risk is highly concentrated, however, higher risk levels are not compensated with a risk premium in GDP levels, nor higher GDP growth. Our findings put the often praised benefits for developing countries from globalized production in a new light, by relating them to risks involved in the production processes. Exposure risks present a new dimension of global inequality that most affects the poor in supply shock crises.

A collective neurodynamic approach to distributed resource allocation with event-triggered communication

AbstractTo solve a distributed optimal resource allocation problem, a collective neurodynamic approach based on recurrent neural networks (RNNs) is proposed in this paper. Multiple RNNs cooperatively solve a global constrained optimization problem in which the objective function is a total of local non-smooth convex functions and is subject to local convex sets and a global equality constraint. Different from the projection dynamics to deal with local convex sets in the existing work, an internal dynamics with projection output is designed in the algorithm to relax the Slater’s condition satisfied by the optimal solution. To overcome continuous-time communication in a group of RNNs, an aperiodic communication scheme, called the event-triggered scheme, is presented to alleviate communication burden. It is analyzed that the convergence of the designed collective neurodynamic approach based on the event-triggered communication does not rely on global information. Furthermore, it is proved the freeness of the Zeno behavior in the event-triggered scheme. Two examples are presented to illustrate the obtained results

Coding and Capability-Building in Nonprofit Digital-Native News Organizations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Latin America (LATAM)

Digital journalism scholars highlighted a gap in scholarly knowledge concerning data journalism in the Global South, emphasizing the importance of data literacy in newsrooms. This article investigates the coding capabilities within digital-native nonprofit news organizations amidst global digital inequalities, focusing on the MENA (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Sudan, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates) and LATAM (Argentina, Costa Rica, Peru, Venezuela, and the unincorporated territory of Puerto Rico) regions. We conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with 15 organizations and analyzed emerging themes to understand coding capabilities in the context of sustaining available resources and mitigating existing constraints. This study concludes that the significance of adopting coding for nonprofit digital-native news organizations in MENA and LATAM is likely to increase, given the persistence of the existing political and economic conditions. Moreover, this study recognizes that certain news innovation trends related to coding, originally from the Global North, such as innovation labs, are gaining traction in the Global South. However, it also highlights variations among regions within the Global South regarding the adoption of coding in news organizations.

Examining meaning-making and decolonial resistance in Pakistani women's stories of navigating coloniality and gender

Although Pakistan attained independence from the British colonial rule in 1947, the effects of colonial violence endure in the psychosocial realities of Pakistani people. Centering the stories about coloniality of two women leaders working in nongovernmental organizations, this article examines how psychological processes of meaning-making and decolonial resistance manifest in women's engagement with (de)coloniality in Lahore, Pakistan. I draw from transnational and decolonial feminisms and critical psychologies to highlight how two women's contextually shaped realities reflect colonial legacies interlaced with local and global inequities, and to document the ways women construe and resist coloniality-driven gender injustices. Using thematic narrative analysis, findings show that these women make sense of and resist coloniality through an intersectional approach, historical counter-narratives, and reimagination. The article discusses how context-specific decolonial strategies demonstrate women's agency and resistance within transnational feminist praxis, contributing to pluralistic and justice-enhancing approaches. The findings contribute to decolonizing psychological research by documenting Pakistani women's psychological processes and advancing non-Eurocentric knowledge and practices.

Ideals versus realities of learning poverty and human rights

PurposeThis paper will identify and further explore the ideals versus realities of learning poverty and the consequential effects on our moral obligations and responsibilities. The wealthy nations are now under further pressure to recognise and realise their moral obligations to enabling social justice in the context of access, and distribution, of vaccines for the poorer nations. Learning poverty has always been a feature of our global economic, and institutional order, and has become an increasingly important factor in achieving justice.Design/methodology/approachThe study focusses on a human rights approach to learning poverty and the ideals versus the realities of what we are beginning to see in the times of a global pandemic. The major challenges to justice is inherent to the recognition that wealthy nations continue to have a pivotal role in the reduction of poverty. The identified major challenges in the context of learning poverty are: “nation states and the global pandemic”, “international interactions and learning poverty” and “global institutions and learning inequalities”. In particular, the authors explore the concept of ideals versus realities through three “challenges”, which continues to challenge any semblance of justice in the current global vaccine distribution. Nation states and borders, international interactions and global institutions remain barriers in overcoming what is becoming a reality of learning poverty.FindingsThis paper seeks to look beyond the economics of vaccine trade and seek a way to accept a moral claim of justice for all. The authors consider how wealthy nations are active participants in the emergence of learning poverty for many nations.Originality/valueBy exploring the ideals versus realities of learning poverty, and human rights, the authors highlight some of the challenges, and wealthy nations moral obligations, through the emergence of a new dimensional indicator of poverty, learning poverty.

Power Circuits: Asymmetries of Global Christianity

Abstract This article examines the idea of global Christianity in scholarship and the postcolonial and present imperial conditions that underlie it. Through an analysis of the fields of World Christianity and the anthropology of Christianity, it considers how Western Christian histories and power dynamics have impacted Christian traditions of the Global South and seriously considers the pervasive logics of geopolitical power that transform local contexts–not only altering how such communities and traditions are written about, but also impacting the traditions, practices, and people themselves. Thinking with Coptic Orthodox Christians between Egypt and the United States and Born-Again Christians in Uganda, this article examines how global power inequalities in the circuits of ideas, forms of life, and theopolitics are integral to thinking about the idea of global Christianity and its variations in scholarship.

Expanding Global Radiotherapy Access via Telemedicine

Cancer is a leading cause of death globally. Over 70% of the 10 million cancer deaths worldwide in 2020 occurred in low- and low middle-income countries. Radiotherapy is an important cancer treatment, used in half of cancer patients. Significant global disparities in radiotherapy access exist, with low access in low- and middle-income countries. There is an unmet need to expand global radiotherapy access. Telemedicine in radiotherapy (tele-radiotherapy) applications hold promise in providing solutions to overcome global radiotherapy access inequity. Virtual training could upgrade radiotherapy skills in low- and middle-income countries, enabling safe adoption of new radiotherapy techniques and quality assurance. Tele-radiotherapy consultations and follow-up improve efficiency of clinics while tele-radiotherapy planning and peer-review could enable equitable global access to radiotherapy expertise. Telemedicine could also facilitate a wider global access to radiotherapy trials. However, the benefits of tele-radiotherapy in low- and middle-income countries are yet to be fully realized. In this editorial, we highlight potential applications of tele-radiotherapy in expanding access to high-quality radiotherapy in developing countries.

Preparing Teachers to Re-Build Democratic Communities and Disappearing Middle Class to Reverse Global Inequality: A Typology Applying Bourdieusian ‘Taste’ and Dewey-Inspired Tools to Transform World Making

‘Double structuring’ of objective economic wealth and subjective perception of wealth through language and culture produce a common world of divisions in the classroom from ‘bad taste’ to ‘good taste’. Teachers’ language and culture of instruction and ‘good taste’ perpetuate systemic injustice with unconscious bias. The tool ‘A Blueprint for Character Development for Evolution (ABCDE) offers five steps to prepare teachers to recognize bias and reverse it with a Typology Applying Bourdieusian ‘Taste’ for Making Worlds. A—Ask questions about instructional Language and Culture and Community Languages and Cultures; B—Critique Typology of Taste: C—Develop statistical models with measures to monitor and evaluate incremental progress towards synthesizing/unifying different classroom languages and cultures into one democratic language and culture whilst honouring each; D—Create evidence-informed, logical and ethical qualitative pathways to re-building a democratic community/disappearing middle class; E—Identify a principle of unity that reverses local inequality, and through powerful Higher Education networks, mainstream it to reverse global inequality. A Professional Educators and Administrators Committee for Empowerment (PEACE) offers a systemic multi-level communication infrastructure to enable feedback loops from communities to policy makers to measure inequality and report narrowing income and wealth gaps to reverse the sharpest increase between 2019 and 2020 in global inequality since World War II.

Earth at risk: An urgent call to end the age of destruction and forge a just and sustainable future.

Human development has ushered in an era of converging crises: climate change, ecological destruction, disease, pollution, and socioeconomic inequality. This review synthesizes the breadth of these interwoven emergencies and underscores the urgent need for comprehensive, integrated action. Propelled by imperialism, extractive capitalism, and a surging population, we are speeding past Earth's material limits, destroying critical ecosystems, and triggering irreversible changes in biophysical systems that underpin the Holocene climatic stability which fostered human civilization. The consequences of these actions are disproportionately borne by vulnerable populations, further entrenching global inequities. Marine and terrestrial biomes face critical tipping points, while escalating challenges to food and water access foreshadow a bleak outlook for global security. Against this backdrop of Earth at risk, we call for a global response centered on urgent decarbonization, fostering reciprocity with nature, and implementing regenerative practices in natural resource management. We call for the elimination of detrimental subsidies, promotion of equitable human development, and transformative financial support for lower income nations. A critical paradigm shift must occur that replaces exploitative, wealth-oriented capitalism with an economic model that prioritizes sustainability, resilience, and justice. We advocate a global cultural shift that elevates kinship with nature and communal well-being, underpinned by the recognition of Earth's finite resources and the interconnectedness of its inhabitants. The imperative is clear: to navigate away from this precipice, we must collectively harness political will, economic resources, and societal values to steer toward a future where human progress does not come at the cost of ecological integrity and social equity.

The ethics of knowledge production and the problem of global knowledge inequality

Given demonstrated global knowledge inequality, this article attempts to draw out the connection between tertiary education and research (TER), economic development and infrastructure, and human development. We first explore the connection between knowledge and economic development by tracing a short history of the emergence of knowledge in economic analysis and by introducing the concept of a ‘knowledge economy’. The World Bank’s ‘Knowledge Assessment Methodology’ (2000) attempted to evaluate such ‘knowledge economies’ through a number of proposed variables. We describe relationships between such TER-variables, economic development, and infrastructure building, especially in the shift towards digital economies. We will show that there is a tangible, negative human impact from disparities in knowledge production, and significant improvement in human welfare when knowledge production capacities improve. Finally, we will illustrate how these relationships play out in two case studies, in Montenegro and Bangladesh.

Whole person healthcare as social and environmental justice: new research directions toward a paradigmatic integration of an ecological whole system medicine framework

With increasing recognition of the interdependencies of human and planetary health, calls for a socially and environmentally just framework of health have centered on whole person healthcare (WPHC) approaches. This perspective piece proposes an argument for broadening the definition of human health from WPHC to one that is guided by the philosophical orientation of traditional whole system medicine (WSM) approaches, undergirded by the values of social and environmental justice, and supported by the practices of an allopathic-integrative medicine-based WPHC framework. This piece presents opportunities for praxis offered by a WSM–WPHC framework to address global inequity, environmental disparities, and sustainability challenges. An ecological WSM–WPHC framework envisages social and environmental justice in material and discursive ways by foregrounding environmental planetary ecological consciousness as constitutive of human consciousness and biopsychosocial composition. It argues for structural support through formalized programmatic pathways targeting funding opportunities and mechanisms that invite investigations addressing epistemic challenges of expanding definitions of evidence constituting basic science knowledge domains beyond mechanistic, causal, and formative paradigms. Furthermore, it calls for innovative research directions examining the integration and validation of evidence-based approaches incorporating the ontologically diverse and epistemically distinct ontological orientation of WSM and clinical approaches. A WSM–WPHC framework that positions human health within the parameters of social and environmental justice principles envisions the material enactment of the practice of health and medicine as a universal planetary value.

Changes in disease burden and global inequalities in bladder, kidney and prostate cancers from 1990 to 2019: a comparative analysis based on the global burden of disease study 2019

BackgroundBladder, kidney and prostate cancers make significant contributors to cancer burdens. Exploring their cross-country inequalities may inform equitable strategies to meet the 17 sustainable development goals before 2030.MethodsWe analyzed age-standardized disability-adjusted life-years (ASDALY) rates for the three cancers based on Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019. We quantified the inequalities using slope index of inequality (SII, absolute measure) and concentration index (relative measure) associated with national sociodemographic index.ResultsVaried ASDALY rates were observed in the three cancers across 204 regions. The SII decreased from 35.15 (95% confidence interval, CI: 29.34 to 39.17) in 1990 to 15.81 (95% CI: 7.99 to 21.79) in 2019 for bladder cancers, from 78.94 (95% CI: 75.97 to 81.31) in 1990 to 59.79 (95% CI: 55.32 to 63.83) in 2019 for kidney cancer, and from 192.27 (95% CI: 137.00 to 241.05) in 1990 to − 103.99 (95% CI: − 183.82 to 51.75) in 2019 for prostate cancer. Moreover, the concentration index changed from 12.44 (95% CI, 11.86 to 12.74) in 1990 to 15.72 (95% CI, 15.14 to 16.01) in 2019 for bladder cancer, from 33.88 (95% CI: 33.35 to 34.17) in 1990 to 31.13 (95% CI: 30.36 to 31.43) in 2019 for kidney cancer, and from 14.61 (95% CI: 13.89 to 14.84) in 1990 to 5.89 (95% CI: 5.16 to 6.26) in 2019 for prostate cancer. Notably, the males presented higher inequality than females in both bladder and kidney cancer from 1990 to 2019.ConclusionsDifferent patterns of inequality were observed in the three cancers, necessitating tailored national cancer control strategies to mitigate disparities. Priority interventions for bladder and kidney cancer should target higher socioeconomic regions, whereas interventions for prostate cancer should prioritize the lowest socioeconomic regions. Additionally, addressing higher inequality in males requires more intensive interventions among males from higher socioeconomic regions.

Unveiling the asymmetric effects: global value chain participation and income inequality

ABSTRACT This study employs a panel nonlinear ARDL model to analyse the asymmetric effects of global value chain participation and its components (forward and backward participation) on income inequality across 29 economies spanning from 2004 to 2018. The findings reveal that global value chain participation is negatively associated with income inequality in the long run, as it stimulates employment opportunities, economic growth, and access to markets. Concomitantly, our study sheds light on whether the effects of global value chain participation vary across its components within the selected economies. Both positive and negative changes in backward participation have positive and significant effects on income inequality in the long run. Simultaneously, adverse changes in forward participation contribute to an upward trajectory in income inequality over the same period. The comprehensive analysis highlights the multi-faceted dynamics between a country’s involvement in global value chains and income disparities within that nation. Given the findings, policymakers need to make it a top priority to boost their economies’ participation in global value chains. This can be accomplished through a multi-pronged strategy that includes trade liberalization policies, measures to attract foreign direct investment, and robust infrastructure development initiatives.

LIFE CHANCES AND STRUCTURAL INEQUALITY

The article delves into the historical trajectory of global inequality, tracing the transition from an era of relative equality to the emergence of profound disparities following the Industrial Revolution and the rise of the West. It scrutinizes the Eurocentric narrative of progress, emphasizing the pivotal role of scientific advancements, technological innovations, and capitalist expansion in shaping the Western ascendancy. Furthermore, it explores the concept of life chances as a lens through which to analyse structural inequality and the distribution of resources among individuals. The discourse extends to the revaluation of values in the context of sustainability, advocating for a shift towards a more sustainable and equitable societal framework. The paper underscores the enduring challenges posed by durable inequality and the allure of the Western lifestyle to less privileged regions. Through a multidisciplinary lens encompassing historical, sociological, and ecological perspectives, it offers insights into the complexities of global development, social stratification, and the quest for a more just and sustainable world order.

COVID-19 self-testing: Countries accelerating policies ahead of WHO guidelines during pandemics, a global consultation.

The widespread use of antigen-detection rapid diagnostic tests (Ag-RDTs) has revolutionized SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) testing, particularly through the option of self-testing. The full extent of Ag-RDT utilization for self-testing, however, remains largely unexplored. To inform the development of WHO guidance on COVID-19 self-testing, we conducted a global consultation to gather the views and experiences of policy makers, researchers, and implementers worldwide. The consultation was conducted by disseminating a WHO questionnaire through professional networks via email and social media, encouraging onward sharing. We used a cross-sectional design with both closed and open-ended questions related to policy and program information concerning the regulation, availability, target population, indications, implementation, benefits, and challenges of COVID-19 self-testing (C19ST). We defined self-testing as tests performed and interpreted by an untrained individual, often at home. Descriptive summaries, cross-tabulations, and proportions were used to calculate outcomes at the global level and by WHO region and World Bank income classifications. All information was collated and reported according to WHO guideline development standards and practice for global consultations. Between 01 and 11 February 2022, 844 individuals from 139 countries responded to the survey, with 45% reporting affiliation with governments and 47% operating at the national level. 504 respondents from 101 countries reported policies supporting C19ST for a range of use cases, including symptomatic and asymptomatic populations. More respondents from low-and-middle-income countries (LMICs) than high-income countries (HICs) reported a lack of an C19ST policy (61 vs 11 countries) and low population-level reach of C19ST. Respondents with C19ST experience perceived that the tests were mostly acceptable to target populations, provided significant benefits, and highlighted several key challenges to be addressed for increased success. Reported costs varied widely, ranging from specific programmes enabling free access to certain users and others with high costs via the private sector. Based on this consultation, systems for the regulatory review, policy development and implementation of C19ST appeared to be much more common in HIC when compared to LIC in early 2022, though most respondents indicated self-testing was available to some extent (101 out of 139 countries) in their country. Addressing such global inequities is critical for ensuring access to innovative and impactful interventions in the context of a public health emergency of international concern. The challenges and opportunities highlighted by key stakeholders could be valuable to consider as future testing strategies are being set for outbreak-prone diseases.

Informality at the heart of sustainable development

As a term, the ‘structure of informality’ aims to elucidate how informality is produced, and why it persists. I argue that informality is engendered through the informal/formal dialectic, which constitutes a multiscalar process that creates global inequalities across time and space. We can better understand informality by studying colonial socio-spatial inequalities created through urbanization. Taking seriously the arguments put forward by Cobbinah and Olajide, I argue that the structure of informality must also be applied to understand contemporary neocolonial practices in relation to sustainable development. These practices include the use and misuse of informality in relation to three topics: (1) as a mode of generating and sustaining socio-spatial and economic inequalities; (2) the nascent and undertheorized relationship between informality and climate change; and (3) the importance of understanding and theorizing global informality at the heart of sustainable development to influence policy and practice. These topics have grown in salience because of the global push towards decarbonization, and despite informality being a dominant mode of economic, spatial, and political life in most of the world. Informality lies at the heart of sustainable development, thus making it essential to re-energize debates on its structures, forms, and driving forces.