Charles Knox-Vydmanov
@knoxvydmanov.bsky.social
Researcher, trainer, policy analyst. Social protection, disability, public finance, pensions. Independent consultant, previously ILO and HelpAge International.
Doesn't this also mean that defence and public servant pensions are included?
October 23, 2025 at 10:51 PM
Doesn't this also mean that defence and public servant pensions are included?
In a way, the Friedman example is instructive on this. Despite his huge intellectual influence through the 80s and 90s, the global outcome was not to discard social insurance systems.
In the end, whatever Elon says will have to rub up against the political economy of this.
In the end, whatever Elon says will have to rub up against the political economy of this.
March 3, 2025 at 10:30 AM
In a way, the Friedman example is instructive on this. Despite his huge intellectual influence through the 80s and 90s, the global outcome was not to discard social insurance systems.
In the end, whatever Elon says will have to rub up against the political economy of this.
In the end, whatever Elon says will have to rub up against the political economy of this.
Agree!
Just on the question of the AI being perceived as more "scientific", in this case the human reviewers don't know whether the review is from the AI, or randomly selected for review.
Just on the question of the AI being perceived as more "scientific", in this case the human reviewers don't know whether the review is from the AI, or randomly selected for review.
December 6, 2024 at 6:19 PM
Agree!
Just on the question of the AI being perceived as more "scientific", in this case the human reviewers don't know whether the review is from the AI, or randomly selected for review.
Just on the question of the AI being perceived as more "scientific", in this case the human reviewers don't know whether the review is from the AI, or randomly selected for review.
Fascinating! These are great resources and charts. Thank you so much!
In case it's not already on your radar, this is another nice resource for OECD level comparison: www.oecd-ilibrary.org/employment/d...
Seems to roughly match the UK and Sweden data (reassuringly)
In case it's not already on your radar, this is another nice resource for OECD level comparison: www.oecd-ilibrary.org/employment/d...
Seems to roughly match the UK and Sweden data (reassuringly)
December 6, 2024 at 1:31 PM
Fascinating! These are great resources and charts. Thank you so much!
In case it's not already on your radar, this is another nice resource for OECD level comparison: www.oecd-ilibrary.org/employment/d...
Seems to roughly match the UK and Sweden data (reassuringly)
In case it's not already on your radar, this is another nice resource for OECD level comparison: www.oecd-ilibrary.org/employment/d...
Seems to roughly match the UK and Sweden data (reassuringly)
OK... accessed the (great) article and can see form underlying data that this doesn't include PiP. So I have the same question as you, Sam!
By the way, lovely chart from the ONS data on the changing composition of incapacity benefit caseload.
By the way, lovely chart from the ONS data on the changing composition of incapacity benefit caseload.
December 6, 2024 at 12:39 PM
OK... accessed the (great) article and can see form underlying data that this doesn't include PiP. So I have the same question as you, Sam!
By the way, lovely chart from the ONS data on the changing composition of incapacity benefit caseload.
By the way, lovely chart from the ONS data on the changing composition of incapacity benefit caseload.
I think we need to be careful here. It's not obvious to me that the "disparities" described in the article and accompanying report result in discrimination.
Indeed, the report reads like one of an organisation taking these issues seriously (or perhaps I am naïve).
Indeed, the report reads like one of an organisation taking these issues seriously (or perhaps I am naïve).
December 6, 2024 at 9:26 AM
I think we need to be careful here. It's not obvious to me that the "disparities" described in the article and accompanying report result in discrimination.
Indeed, the report reads like one of an organisation taking these issues seriously (or perhaps I am naïve).
Indeed, the report reads like one of an organisation taking these issues seriously (or perhaps I am naïve).
Added personal link is my street is on the map! "Fairly comfortable. Good ordinary earnings." According to notebooks: "Good artisan class".
The commentary in the notebooks is quite beautifully written.
The commentary in the notebooks is quite beautifully written.
November 28, 2024 at 11:28 AM
Added personal link is my street is on the map! "Fairly comfortable. Good ordinary earnings." According to notebooks: "Good artisan class".
The commentary in the notebooks is quite beautifully written.
The commentary in the notebooks is quite beautifully written.
Niche fact on the link to social protection. Charles Booth was a fervent advocate of a universal pension in the UK, and contributed towards the establishment of the UK's old age pension in 1908.
Arguments in this pamphlet resonate with modern day debates.
babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc...
Arguments in this pamphlet resonate with modern day debates.
babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc...
November 28, 2024 at 11:28 AM
Niche fact on the link to social protection. Charles Booth was a fervent advocate of a universal pension in the UK, and contributed towards the establishment of the UK's old age pension in 1908.
Arguments in this pamphlet resonate with modern day debates.
babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc...
Arguments in this pamphlet resonate with modern day debates.
babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc...
Fancy stuff!
November 26, 2024 at 10:25 PM
Fancy stuff!
WRONG!
In all cases government revenue is set to increase in REAL TERMS. By 10% in Nigeria, and more than 40% in Uganda.
Why is this? Economic growth... which is set to average between 3 and 7% per year in these countries over the period.
2/4
In all cases government revenue is set to increase in REAL TERMS. By 10% in Nigeria, and more than 40% in Uganda.
Why is this? Economic growth... which is set to average between 3 and 7% per year in these countries over the period.
2/4
November 25, 2024 at 9:43 PM
WRONG!
In all cases government revenue is set to increase in REAL TERMS. By 10% in Nigeria, and more than 40% in Uganda.
Why is this? Economic growth... which is set to average between 3 and 7% per year in these countries over the period.
2/4
In all cases government revenue is set to increase in REAL TERMS. By 10% in Nigeria, and more than 40% in Uganda.
Why is this? Economic growth... which is set to average between 3 and 7% per year in these countries over the period.
2/4
Here's what I think is the biggest misconception about fiscal space for social protection (or anything else for that matter) in low- and middle-income countries.
Look at this chart... government expenditure as a % of GDP is flat, if not falling.
So there's no fiscal space, right?
1/4
Look at this chart... government expenditure as a % of GDP is flat, if not falling.
So there's no fiscal space, right?
1/4
November 25, 2024 at 9:43 PM
Here's what I think is the biggest misconception about fiscal space for social protection (or anything else for that matter) in low- and middle-income countries.
Look at this chart... government expenditure as a % of GDP is flat, if not falling.
So there's no fiscal space, right?
1/4
Look at this chart... government expenditure as a % of GDP is flat, if not falling.
So there's no fiscal space, right?
1/4
We dug into this issue in the Pacific social protection context in a report published over the summer.
www.p4sp.org/resources/in...
www.p4sp.org/resources/in...
November 22, 2024 at 3:56 PM
We dug into this issue in the Pacific social protection context in a report published over the summer.
www.p4sp.org/resources/in...
www.p4sp.org/resources/in...
Indeed.
E.g. look at this from a book I was recently reading
E.g. look at this from a book I was recently reading
November 21, 2024 at 9:56 PM
Indeed.
E.g. look at this from a book I was recently reading
E.g. look at this from a book I was recently reading
One other thing I find striking about that chart (based on global data) is that it basically matches the pattern in Rowntree's poverty line base on early 20th century york (although the presentation means it's inverted)
He was clearly onto something 🙂
He was clearly onto something 🙂
November 21, 2024 at 10:58 AM
One other thing I find striking about that chart (based on global data) is that it basically matches the pattern in Rowntree's poverty line base on early 20th century york (although the presentation means it's inverted)
He was clearly onto something 🙂
He was clearly onto something 🙂
The paper finds striking differences in levels of poverty by age according the the equivalence scale used.
November 21, 2024 at 10:52 AM
The paper finds striking differences in levels of poverty by age according the the equivalence scale used.
Fascinating post by @andrewharrop.bsky.social on measurement of child poverty in the UK
The issues of equivalance scales having "no up-to-date empirical underpinning" is even more acute in developing countries (see this nice paper on the issue: www.developmentpathways.co.uk/wp-content/u...)
The issues of equivalance scales having "no up-to-date empirical underpinning" is even more acute in developing countries (see this nice paper on the issue: www.developmentpathways.co.uk/wp-content/u...)
November 21, 2024 at 10:49 AM
Fascinating post by @andrewharrop.bsky.social on measurement of child poverty in the UK
The issues of equivalance scales having "no up-to-date empirical underpinning" is even more acute in developing countries (see this nice paper on the issue: www.developmentpathways.co.uk/wp-content/u...)
The issues of equivalance scales having "no up-to-date empirical underpinning" is even more acute in developing countries (see this nice paper on the issue: www.developmentpathways.co.uk/wp-content/u...)
The ILO has created a dashboard on informal employment and it's extremely cool. www.unglobalaccelerator.org/resource/inf...
I'm often struck by how much better data availability/curation is on these kind of issues are compared to, say, a decade ago
@cgalian.bsky.social @ourworldindata.org
I'm often struck by how much better data availability/curation is on these kind of issues are compared to, say, a decade ago
@cgalian.bsky.social @ourworldindata.org
November 20, 2024 at 1:42 PM
The ILO has created a dashboard on informal employment and it's extremely cool. www.unglobalaccelerator.org/resource/inf...
I'm often struck by how much better data availability/curation is on these kind of issues are compared to, say, a decade ago
@cgalian.bsky.social @ourworldindata.org
I'm often struck by how much better data availability/curation is on these kind of issues are compared to, say, a decade ago
@cgalian.bsky.social @ourworldindata.org
On the note of digital technologies and disability... interesting that Bluesky includes a much stronger prompt for alt text than Twitter/X.
@desibility.bsky.social
Adding alt text on this screenshot of the alt text prompt felt very meta.
@desibility.bsky.social
Adding alt text on this screenshot of the alt text prompt felt very meta.
November 14, 2024 at 6:28 PM
On the note of digital technologies and disability... interesting that Bluesky includes a much stronger prompt for alt text than Twitter/X.
@desibility.bsky.social
Adding alt text on this screenshot of the alt text prompt felt very meta.
@desibility.bsky.social
Adding alt text on this screenshot of the alt text prompt felt very meta.
Very interesting webinar next week on the impact of digital technologies on minority and marginalised groups in the context of social protection (with a focus on disability).
Register here: bit.ly/4hLyjah
@desibility.bsky.social @cbehrendt.bsky.social
Register here: bit.ly/4hLyjah
@desibility.bsky.social @cbehrendt.bsky.social
November 14, 2024 at 6:28 PM
Very interesting webinar next week on the impact of digital technologies on minority and marginalised groups in the context of social protection (with a focus on disability).
Register here: bit.ly/4hLyjah
@desibility.bsky.social @cbehrendt.bsky.social
Register here: bit.ly/4hLyjah
@desibility.bsky.social @cbehrendt.bsky.social
November 13, 2024 at 2:47 PM
🔥Hot off the press🔥: nice new paper from @theifs.bsky.social on the local economy impact of Bolsa Familia in Brazil. www.taxdev.org/research-pub...
Contributes to a growing global evidence base on local economy multipliers!
Contributes to a growing global evidence base on local economy multipliers!
November 12, 2024 at 11:05 AM
🔥Hot off the press🔥: nice new paper from @theifs.bsky.social on the local economy impact of Bolsa Familia in Brazil. www.taxdev.org/research-pub...
Contributes to a growing global evidence base on local economy multipliers!
Contributes to a growing global evidence base on local economy multipliers!