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So far COBAP Author has created 25 blog entries.

Women in News: Lessons and Learnings 

The crucial significance of gender balance in the news media is very important. Women are under-represented in the news media all across the world. Women are oftentimes prevented from expanding their professional networks and overall career paths due to social and cultural restrictions. For instance, women don’t have the same access to mentors as men

An interview with Shabd Mishra, Managing Director for Renaissance eServices Ltd and founder of Meducination

John Hoffmire: Let me quote something I read about you online, “In 2005 Shabd Mishra quit his job as Head of International Sales for a leading US information publisher to start Renaissance eServices in 2005. The business, located in the UK, spans over 52 countries and caters to nearly 2 million students globally. Since 2005, the

An Interview with Suparna Kapoor, L&D Leader, Consultant, Happiness Coach, and Chevening CRISP Fellow, University of Oxford, 2022

John Hoffmire: I sometimes struggle with the notion of a “thought leader”.  In some cases, it just sounds presumptuous for someone to claim they can or should influence the thinking of others.  But in your case, it seems to me that you are a genuine thought leader in the best sense – you are someone

Employee ownership could be the key to solving our retirement security crisis

At a time when retirement seems out of reach for many Americans, there is clear and convincing evidence that people who work for private businesses with Employee Stock Ownership Plans (S corporation ESOPs) have far greater retirement security than the average American.

That is why when we were in Congress, we led bipartisan legislation to encourage

How To Make America More Affordable

For the last two years, the debate on the economy has centered around inflation.

After reaching a 40-year high last summer, inflation as measured by economists is now approaching normal levels. But despite the rapid slowdown, millions still feel squeezed by a decades-long affordability crisis.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans struggled to afford sky-high prices

Interview with Amita Dahiya, Project Lead (Entrepreneurship) Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusive Leadership, XLRI

John Hoffmire: I’m always interested to hear how someone’s career evolves and, in some ways, changes direction. I often refer to such a career path as “following the current” as in the current of a river. It seems like your career has been a bit like that, would you agree?

Amita: Yes, I think I would agree that

Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2022

The U.S. Census Bureau announced last month that real median household income in 2022 fell in comparison to 2021. The official poverty rate of 11.5% was not statistically different between 2021 and 2022. The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) rate in 2022 was 12.4%, an increase of 4.6 percentage points from 2021. This is the first

Enough Of The Crumbs: We Want A Piece If The Pie

Irit Tamir, Director of Oxfam America’s Private Sector Department, has written an excellent article explaining the context for the recent and dramatic uptick in number of workers going on strike in the U.S.  In it she writes:

“Why are members of the United Automobile Workers (UAW) taking to the street as the latest workers to go

The Oxford Symposium on Employee Ownership 2023

I’ve just returned after attending the Oxford Symposium on Employee Ownership and wanted to share my experiences of the event. This is the second year that the Symposium has taken place. Organised by Graeme Nuttall OBE and Professor John Hoffmire, the aim is to bring together individuals and organisations active in employee ownership from across

Personal Financial Wellness Scale™ is now available in 7 languages

The PFW Scale™ is an eight item survey, which is a reliable measurement of perceived financial distress/financial well-being. It provides the user with a score, which has been scientifically determined to be a valid and reliable measure of one’s perceived personal financial wellness, as well as measure for employees learning progress during the financial literacy

De-silting Lakes and Ponds in India

Water is the basic necessity for all living organisms.  Water capacity of ponds and lakes in India has been significantly reduced due to the settling of silt at the bottom of these water bodies. This causes a water availability problem for villages, in particular.

Another problem is that many people don’t have the resources to de-silt

Inequality and Poverty

While the steep rise of inequality in the United States is well-known, long-run data on the incomes of the richest shows countries have followed a variety of trajectories. Here are four articles, written by Joe Hasell for Our World in Data, that explore a wide range of indicators on inequality and poverty

Businesses Addressing Poverty in India

India is a country with a rich cultural heritage and a fast-growing population and economy. However, it still faces a enormous challenge of poverty. According to the World Bank, in 2018, about 44.8% of India’s population lived below the international poverty line of $1.90 per day.  Those are the most up-to-fate figures since India

Creating Sustainable Jobs: A Key to Breaking the Cycle of Poverty

Breaking the cycle of poverty requires addressing the root causes of poverty and providing individuals and communities with the resources they need to build better lives. One of the most effective ways to do this is by creating sustainable jobs that provide stable employment opportunities and access to the resources needed to build assets and

Half of American households have no retirement savings

In 2019, about half of American households had no savings in retirement accounts, according to the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF). These accounts include individual retirement accounts; Keogh accounts; certain employer-sponsored accounts, such as 401(k), 403(b), thrift savings accounts; and pensions.

Personal saving has grown more important as

7 ways in which businesses can better address poverty issues

Businesses can play a crucial role in addressing poverty issues in the USA and throughout the world by implementing strategies that promote economic and social equity. Business needs to be part of the equation of alleviating poverty. Ask any one who is struggling financially what would improve their situation and the answer will usually

The Personal Financial Wellness Scale™

Poverty is most often assessed using objective measures such as absolute and relative income levels. However, different individuals may experience different levels of financial stress at the same income level. Studies have found that the perception of income is only moderately correlated with actual income level and that it is the perception itself that relates

Can Employee Ownership Help Save Capitalism from Itself?

Corey Rosen, Founder, National Center for Employee Ownership

Johnny’s Pizza House is a chain of 38 company-owned pizza and eleven franchise restaurants in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Johnny’s employees don’t just serve up slices—they get a slice of the company too. Johhny’s is 100% owned by its almost 1,000 employees though an Employee Stock Ownership Plan

Young Writers Series – The Covid Impact: Women’s Participation in the Labour Force Post Pandemic 

It is a well-known fact that India’s economy faced a drastic blow during the COVID-19 initiated lockdowns. While this led to unemployment across various sectors, informal vocations, due to a lack of documentation and formal agreements, faced the brunt of this unemployment. This was further exacerbated for the female workforce, since they were shouldering responsibilities

Young Writers Series – Surveying Economic Policies for Women’s Empowerment in India

As has been explored in earlier articles on this blog, there are numerous obstacles – political, social, and structural – that prevent the integration of women into the Indian economy on equitable terms and footing with their male counterparts. These issues are deeply rooted in the Indian economy and society more broadly, and addressing them

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