Showing papers by "Simeon Djankov published in 2018"
16 Feb 2018
TL;DR: The World Development Report (WDR) 2019: The Changing Nature of Work as mentioned in this paper studies how the nature of work is changing as a result of advances in technology today and considers how governments can best respond.
Abstract: The forthcoming World Development Report (WDR) 2019: The Changing Nature of Work studies how the nature of work is changing as a result of advances in technology today. Fears that robots will take away jobs from people have dominated the discussion over the future of work, but the World Development Report 2019 finds that on balance this appears to be unfounded. Work is constantly reshaped by technological progress. Firms adopt new ways of production, markets expand, and societies evolve. Overall, technology brings opportunity, paving the way to create new jobs, increase productivity, and deliver effective public services. Firms can grow rapidly thanks to digital transformation, expanding their boundaries and reshaping traditional production patterns. The rise of the digital platform firm means that technological effects reach more people faster than ever before. Technology is changing the skills that employers seek. Workers need to be better at complex problem-solving, teamwork and adaptability. Digital technology is also changing how people work and the terms on which they work. Even in advanced economies, short-term work, often found through online platforms, is posing similar challenges to those faced by the world's informal workers. The Report analyzes these changes and considers how governments can best respond. Investing in human capital must be a priority for governments in order for workers to build the skills in demand in the labor market. In addition, governments need to enhance social protection and extend it to all people in society, irrespective of the terms on which they work. To fund these investments in human capital and social protection, the Report offers some suggestions as to how governments can mobilize additional revenues by increasing the tax base.
142 citations
TL;DR: This article found that Eastern Orthodox believers are less happy compared with Catholics and Protestants using data covering more than 100 countries around the world, and that they are associated with left-leaning political preferences and stronger support for government involvement in the economy.
24 citations
TL;DR: Using panel data for 189 economies from 2005 to 2013, this paper showed that business-friendly regulations are correlated with the poverty headcount at the country level, and suggested that the conduit for poverty reduction is business creation, as a source of new jobs and a manifestation of thriving entrepreneurship.
8 citations
TL;DR: This paper showed that Eastern Orthodox believers are less happy compared to those of the Roman Catholic and Protestant faith using data covering more than 100 countries around the world, and also found that relative to Catholics, Protestants and non-believers, those of Eastern Orthodox religion have less social capital and prefer old ideas and safe jobs.
Abstract: We show that Eastern Orthodox believers are less happy compared to those of Catholic and Protestant faith using data covering more than 100 countries around the world. Consistent with the happiness results, we also find that relative to Catholics, Protestants and non-believers, those of Eastern Orthodox religion have less social capital and prefer old ideas and safe jobs. In addition, Orthodoxy is associated with left-leaning political preferences and stronger support for government involvement in the economy. Compared to non-believers and Orthodox adherents, Catholics and Protestants are less likely to agree that government ownership is a good thing, and Protestants are less likely to agree that getting rich can only happen at the expense of others. These differences in life satisfaction and other attitudes and values persisted despite the fact that communist elites sought to eradicate church-going in Eastern Europe, since communists maintained many aspects of Orthodox theology which were useful for the advancement of the communist doctrine. The findings are consistent with Berdyaev's (1933, 1937) hypothesis of communism as a successor of Orthodoxy.