Developed countries have committed to providing billions in climate finance to offset their contribution to the environmental crisis. But much of this funding is being redirected from existing development assistance and may be insufficient to tackle global warming. Climate change is a problem created by industrial nations. But its effects – from extreme weather and […]
Category: Aid & international development
Brazil’s new president faces several domestic and international challenges. Rising poverty and inequality, together with the lingering effects of Covid-19 and management of the Amazon rainforest, dominate the policy agenda. Repairing the country’s international reputation is also critical. As he is sworn in as president of Brazil in January 2023, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva […]
The severity of lockdown measures has been similar across the world. But differences between developing and advanced economies in their sectoral composition and the size of the informal economy mitigate the economic damage in poorer countries. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the lockdown measures enacted in developing countries have been at least as […]
Since the start of the pandemic, more people in sub-Saharan Africa are struggling to access a safe and stable supply of food. Low incomes and high food prices have reduced the ability of an average household to enjoy a nutritious diet. Food insecurity refers to a situation in which households do not have physical or […]
The output losses in low- and middle-income countries triggered by the Covid-19 crisis are likely to leave long-lasting scars, reducing potential growth. The UK is not insulated from the economic fallout due to trade links and financial exposure. A perfect storm: that is how the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and the Bank […]
Unlike previous crises that the microfinance industry weathered successfully, Covid-19 has created significant challenges for both the demand side – low-income borrowers struggling to repay their microloans – and the supply side – providers facing their own funding pressures. A recent Economics Observatory article analysed the impact of Covid-19 on the banking sector. Here, we focus […]