World

Emily Cadman Watch out on the roads

March 14, 2013 3:45 pm by Emily Cadman

Spot quiz: name the leading global causes of death.

The big ones are easy to name – heart diseases, respiratory diseases, malaria, HIV/AIDS etc – but coming in at number eight, road traffic injuries is perhaps less intuitive.

Today’s World Health Organisation report on road safety is a call for more legislation – noting that only 7 percent of the world’s population is covered by legislation covering all five major traffic risks identified by the WHO. In practice this means laws against speeding and driving while intoxicated and requiring motorcycle helmets, seat belts, and child restraints.

It is a dense report worth digesting in more detail, but for now here are the highlight statistics from the report (all graphics courtesy WHO):

1. Although middle income countries – those with a gross national income per capital between $1,006 to $ 12,275 – have only half of the world’s cars, they have 80 per cent of the world’s traffic deaths – and deaths there have been increasing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted in Data, World |

Kate Allen Australia’s two-speed economy

March 7, 2013 1:40 pm by Kate Allen

Australia’s economy is on the up, the latest data shows, with GDP rising by 0.6 per cent quarter-on-quarter. But the national figures hide a lot of variation at state level. In effect, Australia has a two-speed economy.

Most of the growth was driven by the Northern Territory, where the economy is booming thanks to its dominant mining industry. By contrast Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia were in recession.

Australia final demand by state

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Posted in Australia |

Kate Allen How can you be sure what’s in that tasty meat pie?

February 22, 2013 3:37 pm by Kate Allen

by Kate Allen and Hannah Kuchler

Food-related law enforcement, that’s how.

On the face of it, the UK has a fairly strict food hygiene and safety system. But the rapidly-widening horsemeat scandal has prompted questions about the effectiveness of the UK’s food law enforcement systems. And a look at performance data collected by the the Food Standards Agency shows a picture of falling sampling and lower staffing levels.

Explore how your area compares in our interactive map at the bottom of the post Read more

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Posted in Data, UK |

Valentina Romei Challenges for Italy’s next PM in 10 charts (part 2)

February 19, 2013 1:02 pm by Valentina Romei

Following on from 10 charts (part 1), which included the first five challenges facing the next Italian government, here are the next five as we head towards Italy’s general election.

1) Corruption

Corruption is a plight for the country that together with bureaucracy prevents an efficient allocation of resources and discourages investment. Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index ranked Italy 72nd out of 182 countries evaluated in 2012, three positions lower than the previous year. The perception of corruption of Italians is particularly high for the political system, which is one of the main reasons for the country’s political instability and poor governability.

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Posted in Data, Europe, Italy |
From FT.com February 18, 2013

Italy goes to the polls on February 24 and 25, after Mario Monti, the country’s technocratic prime minister, announced his resignation in December. He is attempting to safeguard his legacy by standing as a campaigning politician, but Mr Monti faces strong competition.

This interactive graphic shows Italy’s economic standing and its regional disparities and what the newly elected government will have to grapple with once it comes to power. Read more

Posted in Europe, Italy, Statistics, World |

Valentina Romei Challenges for Italy’s next PM in 10 charts (part 1)

February 13, 2013 5:51 pm by Valentina Romei

Italian general elections on February 24 and 25 will determine the members of the Chamber of Deputies and of the Senate, the two houses of its parliament. This new parliament will face various structural factors behind the country’s weak performance.

Here is the first instalment of the country’s top challenges in 10 charts – another five are set to follow later in the week, so stay tuned.

1) Stagnant economy in the past decade

The Italian gross domestic product is lower than at the beginning of 2001 and the decline does not show signs of reversing. Even Spain and Greece with their deep economic contraction during the crisis are better off than at their levels at the start of the last decade thanks to their strong growth performance before 2008. Italy had sluggish growth even in the first half of the past decade and the additional output that has been created was totally wiped out with the crisis.

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Posted in Data, Europe |
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