Doing business in the PIGS (Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain) – World Bank rankings

Figure 1: Doing Business rankings, PIGS, 2014

image

Source: World Bank Doing Business 2015.

All in all, Italy and Greece are a dog of a place to enforce a contract. The long-suffering taxpayer is better off paying taxes in Greece than in Italy! Not surprisingly, trading across borders is the greatest strength in doing business in the PIGS. The European Union does have some benefits.

Figure 2: Doing Business rankings, Greece and Italy, 2014

image

Source: World Bank Doing Business 2015.

All in all, Italy and Greece are equally bad places to do business and Italy is much worse when it comes to taxes. About the only saving graces of Italy is the registration of property and the protection of minority interests in companies.

Figure 3: Doing Business rankings, Spain and Portugal, 2014

image

Source: World Bank Doing Business 2015.

Spain and in particular Portugal are much better places to do business than Italy and Greece.

The rise and fall of cosmetic surgery

Top performers in science by gender, USA, UK, Japan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand

Why are Japanese 15-year-old girls as good at science as teenagers anywhere else in the world?

Figure 1: Percentage achieving the proficiency level 5 or higher in sciences by gender, USA, UK, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, 2012

image

Source: OECD StatExtract.

Top performers in maths by gender, USA, UK, Japan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand

Figure 1: Percentage achieving the proficiency level 5 or higher in mathematics by gender, USA, UK, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, 2012

image

Source: OECD StatExtract.

Child poverty certainly didn’t go up after the 1996 federal welfare reforms

Why is the gender wage gap mostly an issue now for the middle class and rich?

Top performers in reading by gender, USA, UK, Japan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand

Figure 1: percentage achieving the proficiency level 5 or higher in reading by gender, USA, UK, Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, 2012

image

Source: OECD StatExtract.

What are alternatives to the minimum wage?

Relatively few work long hours in the Nordic countries!

https://www.facebook.com/theOECD/photos/pb.73290362460.-2207520000.1433410812./10152716548647461/?type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Ffbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net%2Fhphotos-ak-xpt1%2Ft31.0-8%2F11160071_10152716548647461_9196406047786333903_o.png&smallsrc=https%3A%2F%2Ffbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net%2Fhphotos-ak-xpa1%2Fv%2Ft1.0-9%2F11179957_10152716548647461_9196406047786333903_n.png%3Foh%3D0d78f11e4d8a148c1f5030bacea4d84b%26oe%3D55FEF7BE%26__gda__%3D1441940392_f386d1cd38462c8a398c2aa1a9ef88a0&size=978%2C925&fbid=10152716548647461

 

Humanities, arts, computing and engineering degrees awarded by gender, USA, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand

Figure 1: Percentage of tertiary degrees awarded in humanities and arts qualifications by gender, 2012

image

Source: OECD Education Database.

Figure 2: percentage of tertiary degrees awarded in computing qualifications by gender, 2012

image

Source: OECD Education Database.

Figure 3: Percentage of tertiary degrees awarded in engineering, manufacturing and construction qualifications by gender, 2012

image

Source: OECD Education Database.

Which are the most dangerous jobs?

Greece (61st) is ranked one above the Russia in the World Bank’s Doing Business Survey 2015

Figure 1: Greek and Russian Doing Business sub-rankings, 2015

image

Source: World Bank Doing Business 2015.

As long as you’re not in a construction or export business, and don’t mind waiting for your electricity, it’s better to do business in Russia than in Greece! The main difference between Russia and Greece is its membership of the European Union makes it easy to export?

In Russia, it’s easier to start a business, register property and enforce contracts than it is in Greece!

Poverty rates in Canada, UK and USA since 1985

Despite 30 years of the ravages of neoliberalism, Reagan, Thatcher, and Blair, the whole lot, poverty has not gone up or down much at all.

Figure 1: relative poverty rate (% of persons living with less than 50% of equivalised disposable income), USA, UK and Canada

image

Source: In It Together – Why Less Inequality Benefits All – © OECD 2015

Child poverty across Europe

Food is now much smaller share of the average family’s budget than in the 60s

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