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Blog post
Data for decision making in the COVID-19 crisis
The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global crisis. For governments to respond effectively, policymakers need quality data on the prevalence of the virus and its various social and economic impacts. There are now at least 55 million confirmed COVID-19 cases across the world, with over a million deaths. While the world has probably not experienced a pandemic of this...
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Blog post
Leaving no one behind: Vulnerable communities need smarter strategies to adapt to a changing climate future
The effects of climate change are felt more keenly by poor communities already facing the double burden of poverty and low development. Thus, climate change policies must be created keeping their unique vulnerabilities in mind and help them build resilience. In the first part of this blog series, we explored energy transition, market integration, and leveraging finance as...
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Not their burden alone: Global cooperation is key to helping developing countries mitigate climate shocks
Over the next decade, fast-growing developing nations will contribute to the bulk of the increase in energy consumption. However, the responsibility of adopting sustainable growth does not – and cannot – fall on them alone. A global shift towards more sustainable growth needs innovative and responsive policies that can only be implemented with international...
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Adopt an Enhanced Revenue Mobilisation System to increase IGFs
The economic disruptions of COVID-19 have put local government revenue in Ghana in a dire state. James Dzansi, IGC Country Economist in Ghana, argues that local governments must urgently adopt the digital Enhanced Revenue Management System to increase their capacities to deliver essential services to their citizens. The local governments must stand up to the challenge....
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The case for scaling up renewable energy investments in fragile and conflict-affected situations
The impressive drop in the cost of clean technologies and the local practical potential of solar PV are making renewable energy an increasingly viable option from an economic perspective in fragile settings. Clean energy investment also has direct implications for tackling climate change, improving the socioeconomic inclusion of marginalised groups, and state-building –...
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Sierra Leone locked down early to contain COVID-19, but at a high price
Sierra Leone locked down early and appears to have COVID-19 under control. But the country has paid a very high economic price, with the vast majority of people missing meals or eating less. Researchers warn that if the virus begins to spread again, these sacrifices may be hard to justify and replicate. In the fight against COVID-19, we are in the same storm but in...
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Blog post
Diversifying economics: Resources for Black and other underrepresented minorities
Over 2011-2017, the top 20 economic departments in the US awarded PhDs to only 15 Black students. In 2017, only 0.6% of the doctorates in economics and 2% of the undergraduate degrees in economics awarded in the US went to Black women. The Institute for Fiscal Studies recently found that Black economists in the UK are 64% less likely to work in Russell Group universities...
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Blog post
For the urban poor, trade may be the only lifeline during a pandemic
Trade routes have been significantly disrupted with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As formal firms reel under the consequent demand and supply shock, the urban poor engaging in informal trade with little social protection have been pushed further into the margins, and are struggling simply for survival. The outbreak of the plague in Surat, India in 1994 claimed...
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Blog post
Devolve more power to cities: they will need it more than ever
Cities with devolved powers can react more quickly to the pandemic. But many don’t have the control they need to respond to shocks. Astrid R.N. Haas and Shahrukh Wani (International Growth Centre) argue that a reluctance by central governments to devolve power is holding them back. COVID-19, like every single pandemic in the last 30 years, started in a city and...
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Blog post
Why we don’t know the real number of COVID-19 deaths in Africa
The number of COVID-19 deaths is surprisingly low in Africa. Could the 'excess deaths' on the continent be hiding a different reality? According to the African Centre for Disease Control, the total confirmed COVID-19 deaths for Africa has now reached over 41,200 – a staggeringly low number compared to the total deaths in other regions. Experts agree, however, that the...
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Leaders and citizens: Women’s political participation in India
Women’s political participation has emerged as a key element of the discourse around the upcoming state elections in India. In this post, Nalini Gulati and Ella Spencer explore the evidence on various aspects of women’s political engagement in the country – representation in government, women as political leaders, and women as active citizens. According to the WEF...