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Society

Germany Is A World Leader In Taking Sick Days — Is It Time To Start Docking Pay?

Germans have plenty of names for those who choose not to work: “Drückeberger”, “Bummelantinnen”, “Faulpelze”. But what are the risks of cutting sick pay to reduce absenteeism?

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Society

Parents, Grow Up! Why German School Headmasters Are Dropping Out

Headmaster, or school principal, used to be a popular job in Germany, but today the country’s schools have at least 1,400 vacant school management positions. Why has this role become so unattractive?

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Economy Society

Uganda Triples Teacher Salaries — But Only In STEM Courses

KAMPALA — Allen Asimwe has dedicated more than two decades to teaching geography at a large public high school in southwestern Uganda. Her retirement age, as a public servant entitled to benefits, is just six years away. She doubts she will wait that long. “I am determined, I want to quit,” she says, calculating that she could earn more by shifting full time to the salon she opened six years ago to supplement her income. “Given the frustration, I cannot continue in class anymore.” For years, she hoped the Uganda National Teachers’ Union would succeed in lobbying for better wages. […]

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Eyes on the U.S. Ideas Trump And The World

‘That Mexican Thing’? Huge Contributions To U.S. Economy

-Analysis- MEXICO CITY — Republican nominee Donald Trump’s continuing tirade against Mexicans have set off alarms on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. But are his prejudices rooted in any fact? Not at all, if you consider recent studies that measure contributions made by Mexican immigrants in the U.S. One study by Mexican economist J. […]

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Ideas Society

What’s Wrong With Racial Quotas In Brazil

The Brazilian Congress has passed a new law that requires no fewer than 20 percent of its civil service employees in the public sector to be of African origin. Good motives, bad policy.

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Geopolitics

Meet The Underpaid, Overexposed ‘Liquidators’ Of Fukushima

IWAKI — Our meeting with one of the “liquidators” of Fukushima’s power plant takes place in a discreet location, out of sight. Talking to journalists is risky, and the man’s nervous employers could use it as a pretext to fire him. “It’s the same thing for workplace accidents — there’s a collective solidarity,” he says. […]

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Society

In Israel, Where Child Care Is A Prime Barometer Of Economic Squeeze

TEL AVIV — The school year is starting soon, and with it comes another not-so-small burden on families around Israel: pre-school and pre-elementary education can cost up to one-third of a person’s gross salary, even in upper-income cities and towns. Indeed, child care expenses for young families was a central point of contention during the […]

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Economy

Resignation, Not Revolt: Portugal’s Unusual Calm On The Brink Of Economic Collapse

LISBON – Manuela, an animal rights activist, is standing outside the entrance to the Entrecampos train station in Lisbon, calling out to the occasional passersby, who pretend they don’t see her. The majority of the shops in the station’s arcade are empty, and even though the building is new, there is a feeling of neglect. […]

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