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Showing all content in International
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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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Publication - Working Paper
Smart meters, electricity losses, and reliability
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Publication - Working Paper
Equilibrium particulate exposure
We assemble global spatially disaggregated panel data describing ambient particulate levels and transport, population, and economic and polluting activities. These data indicate the importance of country level determinants of pollution, of the equilibrium process that separates or brings together people and particulates, of urbanization, and of the composition of economic...
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Blog post
Invest in energy access for a resilient recovery from COVID-19 in fragile environments
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed many inequities, both within countries and across the world. The least developed countries and those affected by fragility and conflict have been particularly hard hit by the economic impacts of COVID-19, experiencing unprecedented declines in commodity prices and remittances and a collapse in earnings at the household, firm, and national...
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Blog post
How to increase the value of COVID-19 data: Lessons and reflections from PAD’s multi-country survey
How can researchers ensure that data collection in the midst of a pandemic is worth the time and effort? As the COVID-19 pandemic gathered pace in mid-March, Precision Agriculture for Development (PAD) launched a rapid, multi-country phone survey to monitor the impact of the disease on our end-users. We were not the only ones with this idea, however. Convenience surveys...
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Event
Placing cities at the centre of Africa’s COVID-19 recovery
The on-going COVID19 pandemic has made clear the inequalities in infrastructure and institutions across the world – the heaviest burden often resting with developing cities. Housing is overcrowded and unsuitable for social distancing, there are difficulties in facilitating a coordinated response to containment measures, and poor service delivery of necessities like...
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Event
Supporting a resilient recovery in fragile environments post-COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed many vulnerabilities and inequities in the world, but has also created an unprecedented window of opportunity for countries to ‘build back better’ to tackle underlying weaknesses, combat climate change, and set a course for more sustainable and inclusive growth. The World Bank Group Annual Meetings 2020 are centred around the...
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Blog post
A policy trade-off? The impacts of stringent COVID-19 lockdowns
New evidence suggests more moderate virus containment measures may be as effective in saving lives as stringent lockdowns – while saving economies. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 170 countries around the world implemented some form of lockdown by 31 March 2020. Governments had to make urgent policy decisions with limited evidence. ‘Stay at home’...
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Publication - Policy paper
Designed to succeed: Building authorising environments for fast-growing cities
Cities are where prosperity is won or lost. They can either be the engines of economic growth, or dysfunctional sites of congestion, crowding, and discontent. One of the main differences is due to the quality and effectiveness of policy decisions: some city governments can take effective, timely decisions that support the productivity-enhancing features of cities, while...
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Publication - Policy paper
Urban land use planning for economic growth
Land use planning plays a crucial role in improving the productivity, livability, and sustainability of developing cities. Drawing on successful reforms from developed and developing countries, this paper explores the trade-offs associated with designing and enforcing land use plans and regulations in the context of rapid and often informal urban development