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What 1919 Teaches Us About Pent-Up Demand
1918 should have been a great year for baseball. A young left-handed pitcher named Babe Ruth began the year by pitching an opening-day victory for the Boston Red Sox. Shortly after, Ruth lobbied…
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How the Rich Get Richer
A paper co-authored this year by economists from the IMF and other institutions confirms that wealthier people are more likely to earn higher returns on their investments. It also shows that the children…
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Time is Ripe for Innovation in the World of Sovereign Debt Restructuring
When corporations have too much debt and need to restructure it, creditors often end up exchanging bonds or loans for stocks. They trade the guaranteed payout of a fixed-income investment for an equity…
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Continued Strong Policy Action to Combat Uncertainty
As G20 leaders meet virtually this week, the global economy faces a critical juncture. Countries have started to climb back from the depths of the COVID-19 crisis. But the resurgence in infections in…
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Bridging the Digital Divide to Scale Up the COVID-19 Recovery
Digitalization has in the past few years enabled developing countries, in particular, to leapfrog on financial inclusion. Countries like Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda and Tanzania have made great advances in connecting their citizens to…
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How COVID-19 will Increase Inequality in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies
Despite the pre-pandemic gains in poverty reduction and lifespans, many of the EMDEs have struggled to reduce income inequality. At the same time, they saw persistently high shares of inactive youth (i.e., not…
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Fiscal Policy for an Unprecedented Crisis
The COVID-19 crisis has devastated people’s lives, jobs, and businesses. Governments have taken forceful measures to cushion the blow, totaling a staggering $12 trillion globally. These lifelines have saved lives and livelihoods. But…
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A Long, Uneven and Uncertain Ascent
This crisis is far from over. Employment remains well below pre-pandemic levels and the labor market has become more polarized with low-income workers, youth, and women being harder hit. The poor are getting…
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Mission Impossible? Can Fragile States Increase Tax Revenues?
The COVID-19 shocks are proving to be especially challenging for fragile states. Pre-COVID, fiscal revenues were low in such countries and governments were struggling to raise them. Now, COVID-19 is hitting them hard…
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China and the Burgeoning African Debt Crisis
Contrary to the swirling rumors on African social media and in the local press about the supposed imminent danger of Chinese asset seizures in Zambia, it’s not the Chinese that are the problem…
