Global Liveability Index

• Released By: Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)
• More than 30 qualitative and quantitative elements are considered in the index, which is divided into five categories: stability (25 percent), healthcare (20 percent), culture and environment (25 percent), education (10 percent), and infrastructure (10 percent) (20 percent ).
• Auckland (New Zealand), Osaka (Japan), and Adelaide (Australia) are the top three most livable cities in the world (Australia).
• The bottom three livable cities are: Damascus (Syria), Lagos (Nigeria), and Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) (Papua New Guinea).

Global Economic Prospects

• The World Bank published this report.
• Regarding the Report:
• The world economy is predicted to rise at its quickest rate in eighty years following the recession.
• The Indian economy is predicted to grow at an annual rate of 8.3% in Fiscal Year 2021-22, 7.5 percent in Fiscal Year 2022-23, and 6.5 percent in Fiscal Year 2023-24.

Report On Global Remittances

• The World Bank published this report.
• Regarding the Report:
• A remittance is money paid from one party to another, usually in a different country.
• For people in low-income and developing countries, remittances are one of the most important sources of income.
• India receives the most remittances in the world, followed by China. India’s foreign exchange reserves are bolstered by remittances, which also help to support the country’s current account deficit.
• The United States had the highest remittance outflow (USD 68 billion), followed by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Germany, and China.

World Press Freedom Day 2021

• UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization is in charge of the event (UNESCO)
• “Information as a Public Good” is the theme for WPFD 2021.
• Following the request of UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991, the UNGA declared the day in 1993.
• The day also commemorates the UNESCO-adopted Windhoek Declaration of 1991, which aims to promote the “growth of a free, independent, and pluralistic press.”

Global Gender Gap Report 2021

Released By: World Economic Forum (WEF)

 

About the Report:

• It aims to serve as a compass to track progress on relative gaps between women and men on health, education, economy and politics.
• The four parameter for assessing gender parity include:
• Economic Participation and Opportunity,
• Educational Attainment,
• Health and Survival and
• Political Empowerment.
• 1 (equality) is the highest possible score, while 0 is the lowest possible value (inequality).
• South Asia, by the way, is one of the worst-performing regions in the world, trailing only the Middle East and northern Africa.
• India is now placed 140th out of 156 countries, making it one of the worst achievers in South Asia.

World Happiness Report 2021

Released By: Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the United Nations

The World Happiness Report evaluates 149 countries according to how happy their residents believe they are.

 

The rankings are based on polling (Gallup World Poll) which looks at six variables:

• Gross Domestic Product Per Capita (Purchasing Power Parity).
• Social Support.
• Healthy life expectancy at birth.
• Freedom to make life choices.
• Perceptions of corruption.
• On a scale of 0 to 10, respondents rank their current lives.
• For the fourth year in a row, Finland has been named the happiest country on the planet.
• Afghanistan is the country with the highest level of unhappiness (149).
• Out of 149 countries analysed, India was rated 139th.
• International Happiness Day celebrates the importance of happiness in people’s daily lives.
• Bhutan was the first to propose this resolution, emphasising the significance of national happiness over national prosperity.
• “Happiness For All, Forever” is the theme for 2021.

Technology And Innovation Report 2021:

• Released By: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
• The report investigates whether frontier technologies may exacerbate existing inequities or create new ones.
• Addresses the policies, instruments, and institutional reforms that are required at the national and international levels to build a more equal world of opportunity for all.
• India was the greatest ‘overperformer’ in frontier technologies, outperforming its per capita GDP.
• India’s current index number is 43, while its predicted per capita income ranking is 108.

Food Waste Index Report 2021

• Released By: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• Regarding the Report:
• This report presents the most complete data collecting, analysis, and modelling of food waste to date.
• Publishes a technique for countries to track national progress toward 2030 by measuring food waste at the household, food service, and retail levels.
• It assesses total food waste, unlike the Food Loss Index (rather than loss or waste associated with specific commodities).
• In comparison to developing and less developed countries, wealthy countries such as Austria produce extremely little garbage.

Corruption Perception Index

• Released By: Transparency International
• According to academics and businesspeople, the index rates 180 countries and territories by the perceived amount of public sector corruption.
• It employs a scale of zero (very corrupt) to one hundred (perfect) (very clean).
• Denmark and New Zealand had the highest scores, with 88 points each, followed by Finland, Singapore, Sweden, and Switzerland, each with 85 points.
• With 12 points each, South Sudan and Somalia are at the bottom of the list.
• With a score of 40, India is ranked 86th out of 180 countries.

World Food Price Index

• Released By: Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO)
• Aids in the tracking of changes in global agricultural commodities markets.
• The change in international prices of a basket of food commodities over a month is measured.
• Changes in a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy products, meat, and sugar are calculated.
• 2014-16 is the base period.

Poverty and Shared Prosperity Report

• Released By: World Bank
• Regarding the Report:
• According to this analysis, the “new poor” will be more urban poor.
• Engage in more informal services and manufacturing rather than agriculture.
• Live in dense urban areas and work in industries where lockdowns and mobility restrictions are common.
• Many of the newly impoverished people will come from Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
• The task group of the NITI Aayog estimates poverty in India.

Global Innovation Index 2020

Released By: World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), Cornell University, INSEAD

 

About the Index:

• Provides thorough information on the performance of 131 countries and economies throughout the world in terms of innovation.
• Political climate, education, infrastructure, and business sophistication are all factors to consider.
• The top five countries are Switzerland, Sweden, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.
• China, India, the Philippines, and Vietnam have achieved the most improvement on the ranking among Asian economies.
• India is ranked 48th among the top 50 most inventive countries.

 

MCQs for practice:

 

1. Select the correct match:
2. Global Liveability Index: Economist Intelligence Unit
3. Global Economic Prospects: World Economic Forum
4. Report On Global Remittances: World Bank
5. Global Innovation Index: World Intellectual Property Organisation

Select the correct option:

1. 1,2,3 only
2. 2,3,4 only
3. 1,3,4 only
4. All of the above

Correct answer: C

1. Global Liveability Index: Economist Intelligence Unit
2. Global Economic Prospects: World Bank
3. Report On Global Remittances: World Bank
4. Global Innovation Index: World Intellectual Property Organisation

 

1. Consider the following statements Report on Global Remittances:
2. The World Bank published this report.
3. A remittance is money paid from one party to another, usually in a different country.
4. Bangladesh receives the most remittances in the world.
5. The United States had the highest remittance outflow (USD 68 billion).

 

Select the correct option:

1. 1,2,4 only
2. 1,2,3, only
3. 1,3,4 only
4. All of the above

 

Correct answer: A

• The World Bank published this report.
• Regarding the Report:
• A remittance is money paid from one party to another, usually in a different country.
• For people in low-income and developing countries, remittances are one of the most important sources of income.
• India receives the most remittances in the world, followed by China. India’s foreign exchange reserves are bolstered by remittances, which also help to support the country’s current account deficit.
• The United States had the highest remittance outflow (USD 68 billion), followed by the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Germany, and China.