Giving Compass' Take:

• Dhruv Ghandi discusses research into inequality in health and education in Sub-Saharan Africa and how funders can help to close the gap. 

• How can funders use this information to make an impact? What countries and communities have the greatest potential for improvement? 

• Find out how foundations can accelerate health system improvement. 

The 2017 IMF Fiscal Monitor report addresses trends in income inequality, its impact on health and educational outcomes, and policy options to addresses those gaps. Unfortunately, sub-Saharan Africa faces tall obstacles when it comes to inequality of many kinds. The region had the second-highest average income inequality in 2015, which was only slightly lower than in 1985. To address this challenge, the report says that redistributive fiscal policies are often used to address disposable income inequalities through taxes and income-related transfers and market income inequalities through in-kind transfers such as spending on education and health care. In addition, based on country-specific conditions and with fiscal constraints in mind, the report highlights the possibility of a progressively implemented universal basic income program in developing countries that have large gaps in existing social safety net programs.

Read the source article about inequality in health and education by Dhruv Ghandi at Brookings.