Reading Suggestion-1
Article Name:From Malala to Parkland, why are the victims demonised?
Author Name:Nesrine Malik
Source:The Guardian
Category:Current Affairs
Summary for this article:
The article starts with Malala Yousafzai and then goes on to describe the events that took place when she returned to Pakistan and was condemned and vilified by people there through a coordinated campaign. The attack on her was described as a conspiracy to sully the reputation of Pakistan abroad and this idea has become mainstream.
The writer says that this victim shaming, character assassination and name calling is a global phenomena. This campaign of vilification diverts attention and conversation from core issues. It is about upholding the status quo in all the ways that ensure our small relative superiorities are enshrined; and it is about our prejudices as to who gets to advocate or campaign.
Words to learn from this article:
Preternatural : beyond what is normal or natural.
Poise : graceful and elegant bearing in a person.
Grotesque : comically or repulsively ugly or distorted.
Swirled : cause to move in a twisting or spiralling pattern.
Sully : damage the purity or integrity of.
Virtuous: having or showing high moral standards.
Mired : involve someone or something in (a difficult situation).
Reading Suggestion-1: Click to read full article
Reading Suggestion-2
Article Name:The Global Trade Game
Author Name: Mohamed A. El-Erian
Source:Project Syndicate
Category:Economics
Summary for this article:
The article highlights the ongoing trade war between USA and China.USA has levied tariffs
On Chinese imports to punish China for what it sees as decades of Intellectual Property thefts. China has also retaliated by taxing a range of US goods. Since this kind of a situation is unprecedented hence we cannot look into History for guidance.
The writer turns to Game theory (the branch of mathematics concerned with the analysis of strategies for dealing with competitive situations where the outcome of a participant’s choice of action depends critically on the actions of other participants).In this global era the supply chains are interlinked in ways that cannot be disentangled easily and technology is bringing the barriers down and helping the proliferation of these links. The writer believes cooperation is important to yield better growth rates and defeat protectionism. He questions the assumption of globalization and links it to national populism in the current scenario. Finally, the article ends with suggesting a few steps to counter this.
Words to learn from this article:
Confrontation: a hostile or argumentative situation or meeting between opposing parties.
Salvo: a simultaneous discharge of artillery or other guns in a battle.
Unfettered: not confined or restricted.
Alienated: make (someone) feel isolated or estranged.
Marginalisation: treatment of a person, group, or concept as insignificant or peripheral.
Reading Suggestion-2: Click to read full article
Reading Suggestion-3
Article Name:Old Anti-Inequality Policies Are Failing
Author Name:Leonid Bershidsky
Source:Bloomberg
Category:Economics
Summary for this article:
The article highlights and contrasts the history of income inequality with the present state of inequality. The market creates income inequality; governments reduce it through taxes and social transfers. Between the mid-1980s and mid-1990s, taxes and transfers erased half the growth in market inequality in the developed world. Then, Gini coefficients used to measure the income difference between the richest and the poorest have slowed down, but taxes and transfers were no longer as helpful as they used to be. Governments were no longer shelling out as much money in social support, especially to the unemployed.
Since the early 2000s, many wealthy nations have pushed people to get jobs by making it increasingly difficult to keep drawing unemployment insurance. It also became easier for employers to hire temporary workers and to fire employees. This caused a dramatic drop in unemployment but also reduced their wages on reentry to the workforce. Within the existing tax and transfer systems, governments’ ability to mitigate inequality is melting away. Even if they raised taxes on the rich, there wouldn’t be enough out-of-work poor on whom to lavish the extra revenues. In recent years, the focus of redistributive systems has switched to helping low-income workers rather than the unemployed largely through lower taxes and social security contributions.
Words to learn from this article:
Gig: a job, especially one that is temporary or that has an uncertain future.
Mitigate : make (something bad) less severe, serious, or painful.
Recreational : relating to or denoting activity done for enjoyment when one is not working.
Realistic : having or showing a sensible and practical idea of what can be achieved or expected.
Reading Suggestion-3: Click to read full article
