Want to follow in her footsteps? Applications to our Visiting PhD Fellowship are open until 31 March: go.unu.edu/SDCeY
13.03.2026 10:51
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Want to follow in her footsteps? Applications to our Visiting PhD Fellowship are open until 31 March: go.unu.edu/SDCeY
Picture of Mehwish Ali speaking at a seminar. Over, UNU-WIDER logo and blog title "Balancing the scales in data and policy: my experience at UNU-WIDER"
“Early in my career, I was often one of the few — and sometimes the only — woman of colour in technical spaces.”
Our former Visiting PhD Fellow Mehwish Ali reflects on how the UNU-WIDER fellowship shaped her path in research, policy, and mentoring.
Read more: go.unu.edu/Vooqi
Picture of a silhouette of a family, all carrying luggage under a bridge. Over, a UNU-WIDER logo and text "Carrying the past with you across the border: Long-term effects of conflict and environmental stress exposure in Syria on the social well-being of refugees in Jordan"
Refugees carry the legacy of conflict with them when they cross borders.
New UNU-WIDER research finds that conflict fatalities reduce life satisfaction and social safety nets among Syrian refugees in Jordan—and drought amplifies these effects.
🔗 go.unu.edu/k1IxD
Youth employment policy needs solid data, but collecting it isn't easy! 📊In 2025, 200+ young people in Nampula took part in the first Skills Survey. Key lessons learned:
1️⃣ Participation shapes data
2️⃣ Logistics matter for quality
3️⃣ Context is key for engagement
🔗 go.unu.edu/FgkIp
What do bond markets say about inflation?
New #SATIED research finds long-term inflation expectations are slowly moving closer to the South African Reserve Bank’s target band, while inflation risk has fallen since 2021.
Learn more: go.unu.edu/fObj7
Picture of a wall with a fracture and a plant growing on it. Over, a text that reads "Green industrialization and inclusive growth in a fractured world order".
We are excited to bring together researchers, policymakers and practicioners in New Delhi, 18–20 March, for #WIDERDevConf2026! Together with ISID, we explore green industrialization & inclusive growth amid a fractured world order.
Read more: go.unu.edu/lfI0B
Quote from Alice Melisandra Torppa, UNU-WIDER Thesis researcher that reads: Tax regimes often disproportionately affect women. At UNU-WIDER, we are suggesting solutions.
Gender inequality is shaped by many forces. Fiscal policy is one piece of the puzzle. 🧩
Our researchers examine how tax systems interact with broader inequalities, and what gender-responsive reform could look like.
🔗 go.unu.edu/vmAkS
#IWD2026 #UNU4SDG5
Picture of South African cityscape, with SATIED logo over it and text "Blog: What economists see in South Africa's 2026 budget"
Across many economies, stabilising public finances has become a central priority.
An #SATIED & Econ3x3 article brings together perspectives from four economists on what South Africa’s 2026 Budget signals for the fiscus, tax reform & infrastructure.
🔗 go.unu.edu/R97XF
The World Bank launched the DRM Impact Program in Tokyo this week.
UNU-WIDER’s Amina Ebrahim showed that tax incentive evaluation is possible when countries bring these two ingredients:
📊 investment in data
💪 political will
Find out more: go.unu.edu/Ep1nT
Alan Shapiro presenting his seminar at the UNU-WIDER Helsinki office
Fintech is reshaping credit markets in emerging economies, but does it actually improve financial inclusion? This was discussed today at the WIDER Seminar Series, when Alan Finkelstein Shapiro (Tufts University) took stage.
Join our next seminar online or in Helsinki: go.unu.edu/ZNCk5
#MakingTaxDataWork
Throughout the past weeks, we’ve shared the journey of African secure research data labs — expanding access to administrative tax data, strengthening institutions, and supporting more informed tax policy.
Explore the full story and watch the documentary 👉 go.unu.edu/U3Izl
We joined the PCT Tax & Development Conference in Tokyo!
Our Research Fellow Amina Ebrahim highlighted how microdata + Secure Data Labs help countries move from data scarcity to evidence‑driven tax reform
Her message: when countries own data and capacity, real policy change happens
go.unu.edu/1Q7ly
Workers in an industrial setting assemble machinery parts. SA-TIED logo and text that reads Legacy of apartheid, Misallocation of labour and firm productivity.
📢 New #SATIED research shows that labour market restrictions under apartheid are linked to persistent labour misallocation in South Africa , highlighting how historical policies can leave lasting economic footprints.
Read more go.unu.edu/eUoNs
Group of people attending a seminar, with information about the WIDER Visiting PhD Fellowship and application deadline 31 March.
Our 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗵𝗗 𝗙𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 is open for applications!
Take your research to another level by working with a mentor and peers, while exploring Helsinki and making lasting connections. Don’t miss your chance!
👉 Apply by 31 March: go.unu.edu/SDCeY
Picutre of green fields, wind turbines and cloids. Over, a UNU-WIDER logo and text "WIDERAngle newsletter, new issue out now"
The new WIDERAngle is out!
This issue spotlights the 2026 WIDER Development Conference on green industrialization & inclusive growth in a fractured world order 🌱🌏
Plus new blogs, briefs, opportunities & recent publications.
Read the newsletter here: go.unu.edu/TDWzz
Starting small is underrated. One dataset 🗂️, one computer 💻, one researcher 👤 — that can be the beginning of a secure data lab.
Across Africa, step-by-step commitment has built lasting data infrastructure for research and policymaking.
#MakingTaxDataWork
Picture of an audience at a seminar, at the UNU-WIDER office. UNU-WIDER logo and a text that reads WIDER Seminar Series.
The WIDER Seminar Series is back! 🎉
Join us in person in Helsinki or online for cutting-edge research in development economics.
Next up: fintech, firm inclusion, and macro dynamics in emerging economies.
Register 👉 go.unu.edu/wvOsM
Don’t forget to apply! ✨
We’re hiring a Head of Policy Research (P3) to lead the SA‑TIED programme in Pretoria. Help steer research, partnerships & policy engagement that shape South Africa’s economic future.
Apply by 1 March: go.unu.edu/PRmSo
Picture of windmills during sunset. Over it, SA-TIED logo and text Financing a resilient low-carbon society in South Africa
When climate transitions falter, the bottleneck is often not policy, but implementation.
A new #SATIED blog looks at what South Africa reveals about municipal resilience and the challenges of turning ambition into action.
Learn more🔗 go.unu.edu/Evxlr
#MakingTaxDataWork
Word is spreading on the policy impact of tax administration data labs — and other countries are taking note. Inspired by these experiences, Honduras saw that secure, collaborative use of administrative data is possible, and launched its own data lab in November 2025 🙌
How are difficult policy trade-offs navigated in practice across fiscal pressures, labour markets, and the energy transition? Join us at the SA-TIED Conference to engage with the conversations shaping reform in South Africa — the registation is now open!
Register here: go.unu.edu/OUx7X
#SATIED
In a new The Conversation Africa piece, our Inclusive Growth in Mozambique colleagues Ricardo Santos and Elina Penttinen unpack how how climate shocks intersect with poverty, weak public services, and deep-rooted spatial inequalities.
Read the blog here: go.unu.edu/cm8F3
📸 USSENE MAMUDO/AFP
#MakingTaxDataWork
Collaboration and shared learning are key to African data labs 🤝 In 2024, research assistants from Uganda and South Africa took part in an exchange to learn how each lab manages data and supports policy-relevant research.
👉 go.unu.edu/MbZpl
Earlier this week we launched two new #SOUTHMOD policy notes with ZIPAR, using #MicroZAMOD to assess fuel subsidies and the Cash for Work programme. Savings from universal fuel subsidies could support more targeted, equitable social protection. Learn more about MicroZAMOD👉 go.unu.edu/JXE3n
What can we learn about economic progress beyond headline GDP?
New #SATIED research explores how high-frequency indicators, from electricity to transactions, could complement official statistics and offer earlier insight into economic shifts.
🔗https://go.unu.edu/K3MC1
🚀 UNU‑WIDER just kicked off its first engagement with the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) with a Tax Gap Training together with IMF colleagues.
A central feature of the session was the UNU‑WIDER Tax Gap Toolkit.
Read more about the training: go.unu.edu/6OvYb
#DRM
A new UNU-WIDER blog, The Panopticon Taxman, explores how VAT e-invoicing gave tax authorities in Uganda unprecedented visibility into economic activity — and why better information doesn’t automatically translate into fairer, more efficient taxation.
Read the blog : go.unu.edu/MTtVa
#DRM
Text on a slide discussing the impact of tax design on taxpayer behavior and how tax data uncovers hidden behavioral responses.
Graphic discussing taxpayer income reporting. Highlights discrepancies between reported income and actual work effort post-tax threshold changes.
Text graphic discussing the analysis of Zambian taxpayer behavior following changes in income tax rates and thresholds.
#MakingTaxDataWork in Zambia!
How do taxpayers respond when income taxes rise?
Using payroll tax data from the Zambia Revenue Authority data lab, new evidence shows that higher taxes mainly change how income is reported, not how much people work.
👉 go.unu.edu/AUtBa
📢 Join us for the 2026 #SATIED Conference 23–24 March!
This year’s theme, Evidence in Action: Advancing Inclusive Economic Growth, brings together leading voices to explore how evidence, data, and institutions shape South Africa’s economic reform agenda.
Register now: go.unu.edu/OUx7X
