The COVID-19 crisis has hit everywhere at once. Lower-income countries should not expect large inflows of aid; they will be left largely to their own resources. Those resources are limited, so lower-income countries need to find leverage wherever they can. Export-oriented firms are one important source of leverage. The large, formal firms typically have relationships with banks and a solvency buffer. They also provide a conduit for reaching a part of the labour force. Using an example from the garment sector in Bangladesh, this Policy Insight shows how concessionary loans have been used to leverage limited government resources. The export sector also provides foreign currency earnings particularly important for countries that import a significant part of their basic food budget. The viability of exports will depend on international demand, but also on keeping the domestic part of the supply chain open.
Many reports have described Chinese engagement in Africa as “neo-imperialism” and “authoritarian capitalism”, exploiting resources and local labour while undermining democracy.
Is there a policy rationale for actively trying to encourage small firms to formalise? In the last two decades, hundreds of regulatory reforms have been implemented in countries across the world with the primary objective of making it easier to formally register a business.
What explains differences in productivity across firms and countries? For the past decade, a project called the World Management Survey has been collecting management data to understand the role of management practices as an important factor in explaining variation in firm productivity.
In response to the Covid-19 crisis, 186 countries implemented direct cash transfers to households, and 181 introduced in-kind programs that lowered the cost of utilities such as electricity, water, transport, and mobile money.
Our study finds that smart lockdowns in Lahore did not have a significant effect on 10th-grade examination results; students possibly turned to alternative learning options outside school.
Research suggests that partisanship and social media usage correlate with belief in COVID-19 misinformation, and that misinformation shapes citizens’ willingness to get vaccinated.
