The coronavirus crisis is a crisis like no other, and for emerging market and developing economies (EMDE), it has triggered a policy response like no other, both in scope and magnitude. Despite their diversity, and in some cases, strained resources, this large group of countries—consisting of emerging markets and low-income countries—have bolstered the provision of...Read more »
Commentary
COVID-19 Recovery: A game-changer for sustainable urban mobility?
Opportunities for Non-Motorized Transport Infrastructure The COVID-19 lockdowns had an immediate and drastic impact on transport systems and mobility, in particular on the mobility patterns of people. Strict regulations imposed by governments around the world have affected the delivery of and demand for public transport services in and across many cities and countries, as highlighted...Read more »
Financing COVID-19 Stimulus: Will high levels of public debt come back to haunt us?
As the Task Force for a Resilient Recovery begins work on low-carbon, resilient pathways for post-COVID-19 recovery, it’s worth taking a step back to examine how stimulus spending is actually financed and what patterns are emerging from the design and implementation of such packages in Europe, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. The majority of COVID-related stimulus financing...Read more »
Debt-To-Health Swaps: Financing health system resilience beyond the COVID-19 pandemic
On April 13, 2020, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved immediate debt relief to 25 of its member countries under the adapted Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust (CCRT). The debt relief is one of several measures to alleviate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and supports, especially vulnerable and indebted countries for an initial phase...Read more »
Environmental, Social, and Governance Targets of the March 2020 Economic Stimulus
Examples of economic stimulus packages announced in March 2020 Can these economic stimulus packages be accompanied by targets on environmental performance, social cohesion, and economic governance? The humanitarian crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be devastating, and targeting stimulus spending on emergency responses, healthcare, food security, and keeping jobs and small businesses alive...Read more »