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G20 Insights > Social Cohesion and the Future of Welfare Systems
Social Cohesion and the Future of Welfare Systems

Policy Area
Social Cohesion and the Future of Welfare Systems

POLICY BRIEFS

Policy Briefs contain recommendations or visions and cover policy areas that are of interest to G20 policymakers. The majority of the Policy Briefs has been developed by a corresponding Think20 Task Force.

T20 Recommendations Reports tie related policy proposals made under different G20 Presidencies into a common policy advice framework. They aim to leverage connections between T20 research organizations as well as other stakeholders to address well-defined global problems, in order to support G20 policymakers and to aid business and civil society organizations in complementing G20 policy efforts.

  • Recommendations (61)
  • Visions (3)
  • General Literature (13)
  • COVID-19-related Literature (6)
  • G20 2020

    Governing diagnostics: Covid-19 and the G20
    • Juergen Braunstein
    • Sachin Silva
  • G20 2020

    Fiscal sustainability and social cohesion in the face of demographic change
    • Yong Jun Baek
    • Chul Ju Kim (Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI))
    • Sara Lechtenberg-Kasten
    • Cian Mulligan
    • Pitchaya Sirivunnabood (Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI))
    • Karen Young
  • G20 2020

    Enabling youth to create jobs instead of searching for jobs: Labor market-friendly incubators
    • Abdullatif A. Almunifi
    • Saud Almutairi
  • G20 2020

    Properly adressing informality in the arab world: Nature, severity, and possible solutions
    • Abla Abdel-Latif
    • Ahmed Dawoud
  • G20 2020

    Assessing the wellbeing impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and three policy types: Suppression, control, and uncontrolled spread
    • Matthew Adler
    • Richard Bradley
    • Maddalena Ferranna
    • Marc Fleurbaey (International Panel for Social Progress (IPSP))
    • James Hammitt
    • Alex Voorhoeve
  • G20 2020

    “Smart” decentralization: Accountability and community development through urban self-governance
    • Faris Abuzeid
    • Charles R. Hankla
  • G20 2020

    Building global citizenship through global basic income and progressive global taxation
    • Fernando Filgueira (Centro de Informaciones y Estudios del Uruguay (CIESU))
    • Marc Fleurbaey (International Panel for Social Progress (IPSP))
    • Gianluca Grimalda (Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW))
    • Rubén Lo Vuolo
  • G20 2020

    Upscaling community-based early childhood programmes to counter inequality and foster social cohesion during global uncertainty
    • Alejandra Cardini (Centro de Implementacion de Politicas Publicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC))
    • Claudia Costin (The World Bank)
    • Mathias Urban (Dublin City University)
    • Rita Flórez Romero (Universidad Nacional de Colombia)
    • Jennifer Guevara (Centro de Implementacion de Politicas Publicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC))
    • Lynette Okengo (African Early Childhood Network)
    • Dwi Priyono
  • G20 2020

    Recoupling economic and social prosperity
    • Katharina Lima de Miranda (Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW))
    • Dennis J. Snower (Global Solutions Initiative)
  • G20 2020

    Women in global care chains: The need to tackle intersecting inequalities in G20 countries
    • Florencia Caro Sachetti (Centro de Implementacion de Politicas Publicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC))
    • Peter Abrahamson
    • Marija Babovic
    • Asma Bahurmoz
    • Alejandro Biondi
    • Amm Quamruzzaman
    • Margo Thomas (Women’s Economic Imperative)
  • G20 2020

    Recoupling Economic and Social Progress
    • Katharina Lima de Miranda (Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW))
    • Dennis J. Snower (Global Solutions Initiative)
  • G20 Japan

    Aging, Fiscal Sustainability and Adequacy of Social Security Systems
    • Rafal Chomik (Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR))
    • John Piggott (Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR))
    • Sophie Yan (Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (CEPAR))
  • G20 Japan

    Aging Population and its Impacts on Fiscal Sustainability
    • Chul Ju Kim (Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI))
    • Pitchaya Sirivunnabood (Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI))
    • Naoyuki Yoshino (Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI))
  • G20 Japan

    Financial Literacy, Incentives, and Innovation to Deal with Population Aging
    • Charles Yuji Horioka (Asian Growth Research Institute)
    • Yoko Niimi (Asian Growth Research Institute)
  • G20 Japan

    Use Evidence-based Medicine to Raise the Productivity of Healthcare in Aging Populations
    • Michael Stolpe (Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW))
  • G20 Japan

    Work Capacity and Socially Sustainable Public Pension System in Aging Societies
    • Junghyun Kwon (Korea Development Institute (KDI))
    • Taesuk Lee (Korea Development Institute (KDI))
    • Serena Rhee (Korea Development Institute (KDI))
  • G20 Japan

    Role of Innovative Policies in Incentivizing Women’s Participation in the Formal Workforce: A Response to Trends in Aging Population
    • Syed Munir Khasru (The Institute for Policy, Advocacy, and Governance (IPAG))
    • Avia Nahreen (The Institute for Policy, Advocacy, and Governance (IPAG))
    • Marzuka Ahmad Radia (The Institute for Policy, Advocacy, and Governance (IPAG))
  • G20 Japan

    Taxation in Aging Societies: Increasing the Effectiveness and Fairness of Pension Systems
    • Agustin Redonda (Council on Economic Policies)
    • Vincenzo Galasso (Bocconi University)
    • Mark Mazur (Tax Policy Center)
    • Miranda Stewart (Australian National University)
    • Matthew Whittaker (Resolution Foundation)
  • G20 Japan

    Fostering Prosperity – Investment and Demographic Transition
    • Andreas Esche (BertelsmannStiftung)
    • Martina Lizarazo López (BertelsmannStiftung)
    • Thieß Petersen (BertelsmannStiftung)
  • G20 Japan

    Macroeconomic Impacts and Policies in Aging Societies
    • Sang-Hyop Lee (University of Hawaii at Manoa)
    • Andrew Mason (East-West Center)
  • G20 Japan

    The Urban-Rural Divide and Regionally Inclusive Growth in the Digital Age
    • Christian Kastrop (BertelsmannStiftung)
    • Dominic Ponattu (BertelsmannStiftung)
    • Julia Schmidt (BertelsmannStiftung)
    • Sylvia Schmidt (BertelsmannStiftung)
  • G20 Japan

    Bringing the Public’s Voice into Debates about the Future of Politics
    • Richard Wike (Pew Research Center)
  • G20 Japan

    The Digital Freedom Pass: Emancipation from Digital Slavery
    • Dennis J. Snower (Global Solutions Initiative)
  • G20 Japan

    The G20 in face of politicization: Avoiding or embracing contestation?
    • Pol Morillas (Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB))
    • Jordi Quero (Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB))
  • G20 Japan

    Multilateralism with Multiple Layers and Strengthening the Base of National Capacity
    • Hideaki Shiroyama (University of Tokyo)
  • G20 Japan

    Civil Society and the G20: Towards a Review of Regulatory Models and Approaches
    • Helmut Anheier (Hertie School)
    • Stefanie Schmidt (Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS Potsdam))
  • G20 Japan

    Decoupling and Social Arrest: The Way Forward
    • Helmut Anheier (Hertie School)
  • G20 Japan

    Technology Can Help to Right Technology’s Social Wrongs: Elements for a New Social Compact for Digitalisation
    • Francisco Andrés Pérez (Elcano Royal Institute)
    • Andrés Ortega (Elcano Royal Institute)
    • Miguel Otero (Elcano Royal Institute)
    • Federico Steinberg (Elcano Royal Institute)
  • G20 Japan

    Maintaining Social Cohesion through Democratic Liberalism
    • Lauren Altria (Asia Pacific Initiative)
    • Andrea Fischetti (Asia Pacific Initiative)
    • Yoichi Funabashi (Asia Pacific Initiative)
    • Shunta Takino (Asia Pacific Initiative)
  • G20 Japan

    Supporting Sustainable and Effective Social Security System Development in Aging Developing Countries
    • Tanyasorn Ekapirak (ASEAN +3 Macroeconomic Research Office)
    • Seung Hyun (Luke) Hong (ASEAN +3 Macroeconomic Research Office)
  • T20 Co-Chair Brief

    G20 Argentina

    Demographic dividend or nightmare: A three-part strategy for addressing massive entrants to the workforce
    • Anumeha Singh (PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC))
    • Bhavna Batra (PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC))
    • Chaitali Mukherjee (PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC))
    • Shashank Tripathi (PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC))
    • Blair Sheppard (PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC))
  • T20 Co-Chair Brief

    G20 Argentina

    Civil Society Organizations: In need of new regulatory models
    • Stefan Toepler (George Mason University)
    • Helmut Anheier (Hertie School)
  • T20 Co-Chair Brief

    G20 Argentina

    Philanthropic Foundations: From Promise to Sustainable Contributions
    • Diana Leat (City University London)
    • Stefan Toepler (George Mason University)
    • Helmut Anheier (Hertie School)
  • G20 Argentina

    Improving governability, legitimacy, accountability
    • Jürgen R. Grote (DOC Research Institute)
  • G20 Argentina

    Financial Inclusion for Women: A Way Forward
    • Carolina Robino (International Development Research Centre)
    • Carolina Trivelli
    • Carolina Villanueva (Women 20 Argentina)
    • Florencia Caro Sachetti (Centro de Implementacion de Politicas Publicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC))
    • Helen Walbey
    • Luz Martinez
    • Marcela Marincioni
  • G20 Argentina

    Promoting Transparency and Anticorruption in State- Owned Enterprises
    • Ana Lilia Moreno (México Evalúa)
    • Andrea Castagnola (Centro de Implementacion de Politicas Publicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC))
    • Gonzalo Diéguez (Centro de Implementacion de Politicas Publicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC))
    • Katja Bechtel (Transparencia International – Secretariado)
    • Marcos Ramos (México Evalúa)
    • María Emilia Berazategui (Poder Ciudadano)
    • María Fernanda Ballesteros (México Evalúa)
    • Paula Núñez (Centro de Implementacion de Politicas Publicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC))
  • G20 Argentina

    Civil Society in Times of Change: Shrinking, Changing and Expanding Spaces
    • Charlotte Koyro (Hertie School)
    • Markus Lang (CSI Universität Heidelberg)
    • Helmut Anheier (Hertie School)
  • G20 Argentina

    Providing a broader framework to social and labour relations
    • Eliana M. Santanatoglia (David Hume Institute Foundation, Research Centre on Normative and Institutional Evolution)
    • Federico G. M. Sosa Valle (David Hume Institute Foundation, Research Centre on Normative and Institutional Evolution)
    • Guillermo Pivetta (eNOTUS Inernational Inc)
    • Karina Mariani (David Hume Institute Foundation, Research Centre on Normative and Institutional Evolution)
  • G20 Argentina

    Cooperating on the Improvement and Expansion of Tertiary Education
    • Belay Begashaw (SDG Center for Africa)
    • Yulius P Hermawan (Parahyangan Catholic University)
  • T20 Co-Chair Brief

    G20 Argentina

    Understanding and fostering social cohesion
    • Nicholas Tänzler (Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW))
    • Gianluca Grimalda (Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW))
  • G20 Argentina

    Bridging the Education-Workforce Divide: Strategies to Meet Changing Needs, Mitigate Future Inequalities
    • Allan Michel Jales Coutinho (Harvard Graduate School of Education)
    • Claudia Costin (The World Bank)
  • T20 Co-Chair Brief

    G20 Argentina

    Economic Empowerment of Rural Women
    • Boris Branisa (Instituto de Estudios Avanzados en Desarrollo (INESAD))
    • Carolyn Currie (Women’s Enterprise Scotland)
    • Graciela Hijar (Women’s Economic Imperative)
    • Helen Walbey
    • Lynne Cadenhead (Women’s Enterprise Scotland)
    • Mariela Magnelli (Centro de Implementacion de Politicas Publicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC))
    • Melissa Williams (The World Bank)
    • Narnia Bohler-Muller (Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC))
    • Sandhya S. Iyer (Tata Institute of Social Sciences)
    • Margo Thomas (Women’s Economic Imperative)
  • G20 Argentina

    Promoting Transparency and Anticorruption in State-Owned Enterprises
    • Andrea Castagnola (Centro de Implementacion de Politicas Publicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC))
    • Emilia Berazategui (Poder Ciudadano)
    • Fernanda Ballesteros (México Evalúa)
    • Jimena Rubio (Centro de Implementacion de Politicas Publicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC))
  • T20 Co-Chair Brief

    G20 Argentina

    Regional Contribution for Effective Global Governance: the Multilateral International Trade System
    • Andrés Matias Schelp (Consejo Argentino para las Relaciones Internacionales (CARI))
    • Félix Peña (Consejo Argentino para las Relaciones Internacionales (CARI))
  • T20 Co-Chair Brief

    G20 Argentina

    Rethinking the welfare state in the global economy
    • Fernando Filgueira (Centro de Informaciones y Estudios del Uruguay (CIESU))
    • Orsetta Causa (OECD)
    • Marc Fleurbaey (International Panel for Social Progress (IPSP))
    • Gianluca Grimalda (Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW))
  • T20 Co-Chair Brief

    G20 Argentina

    The Imperative of Addressing Care Needs for G20 countries
    • Abigail Hunt (Overseas Development Institute (ODI))
    • Carla Isnaldi (Women 20 Argentina)
    • Carolina Robino (International Development Research Centre)
    • Estela Rivero Fuentes (Counting Women’s Work)
    • Gala Díaz Langou (Centro de Implementacion de Politicas Publicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC))
    • Sarah Gammage (International Center for Research on Women (ICRW))
    • Urvashi Aneja (Tandem Research)
    • Margo Thomas (Women’s Economic Imperative)
  • T20 Co-Chair Brief

    G20 Argentina

    Gender Mainstreaming: A Strategic Approach
    • Arjan de Haan (International Development Research Centre)
    • Cesar Cordova Novion (Jacobs, Cordova & Associates)
    • Gimena de León (Centro de Implementacion de Politicas Publicas para la Equidad y el Crecimiento (CIPPEC))
    • Maxime Forest (Sciences Po)
    • Sandhya S. Iyer (Tata Institute of Social Sciences)
    • Margo Thomas (Women’s Economic Imperative)
  • G20 Argentina

    Bridging the Gender Digital Gap
    • Alina Sorgner (Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW))
    • Gloria Mayne (Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas)
    • Judith Mariscal (Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas)
    • Urvashi Aneja (Tandem Research)
  • T20 Co-Chair Brief

    G20 Argentina

    Adapting Trade Policy to Social, Environmental, & Development Goals
    • Gregory Shaffer (International Panel for Social Progress (IPSP))
    • Marc Fleurbaey (International Panel for Social Progress (IPSP))
  • T20 Co-Chair Brief

    G20 Argentina

    Effective National Policies in the Globalized Era
    • Fernando Filgueira (Centro de Informaciones y Estudios del Uruguay (CIESU))
    • Ulf Sverdrup (Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI))
    • Orsetta Causa (OECD)
    • Marc Fleurbaey (International Panel for Social Progress (IPSP))
    • Gianluca Grimalda (Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW))
  • The Socioeconomics of Pandemics Policy
    • Dennis J. Snower (Global Solutions Initiative)
  • Toward Global Paradigm Change: Beyond the Crisis of the Liberal World Order
    • Dennis J. Snower (Global Solutions Initiative)
  • Research Evaluation in Economic Theory and Policy: Identifying and Overcoming Institutional Dysfunctions
    • Thomas Ferguson (Institute for New Economic Thinking)
    • Robert Johnson (Institute for New Economic Thinking)
  • Global Solutions Journal G20/T20 Italy 2021 Edition

    The Global Solutions Journal G20/T20 Italy 2021 Edition focuses on Italy’s G20 priorities, overcoming the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Digital Governance and New Measurement. 

    Authors from various sectors – politics, research, academia, business, and civil society – have contributed to this multifaceted edition. 

  • S20 Saudi Arabia Communique

    S20 Saudi Arabia 2020: Read the Communique here.

  • The fierce urgency of now: Toward a new multilateralism

    The fierce urgency of now: Kevin P. Gallagher and Richard Kozul-Wright describe the urgent need for a new multilateralism to tackle polarizing inequality, financial instability, and a breakdown of the climate system.

    Toward a new multilateralism, by Kevin P. Gallagher and Richard Kozul-Wright

  • A policy formula for well-being

    Today, the world faces a climate crisis, a natural resource crisis and a crisis of social fragmentation, in addition to various economic threats. Under these circumstances, the exclusive focus on economic goals is indefensible.The President of the Global Solutions Initiative, Dennis Snower, emphasizes the responsibility of the G20 in refocusing policy at all levels in alignment with human well-being as the ultimate goal.

    A policy formula for well-being; by Dennis Snower

  • World Social Science Report 2016: Inequalities and social progress in the future

    World inequalities have evolved in a complex way over the past few decades. The economic emergence of several developing countries with large populations has lowered global inequality, while the widening of inequalities within countries has served to increase it. The baseline scenario would see the world go back to a nineteenth-century pattern of large social inequalities. Less unequal scenarios could involve political intervention to reduce inequalities domestically, or quicker convergence between countries. In all scenarios, the convergence of living standards will raise serious environmental challenges.

    Inequalities and social progress in the future; by Marc Fleurbaey and Stephan Klasen

  • World Social Science Report 2016: The decline and recent uptick of income inequality in Latin America

    This contribution to the World Socal Science Report 2016 discusses the exogenous and policy factors behind the large decline in income inequality recorded in Latin America in the 2000s. In particular, it relates the adoption of progressive policies to the election of left-of-centre regimes in most of the region. Finally, it discusses whether such a policy model is sustainable in a world affected by sluggish growth, falling terms of trade, some domestic policy mistakes, and a possible vanishing of middle-class support for the policy model of the 2000s.

    The decline and recent uptick of income inequality in Latin America, 2002–13; by Giovanni Andrea Cornia

  • The Fading American Dream: Trends in Absolute Income Mobility since 1940

    In  this paper, the authors combine historical data in order to estimate rates of “absolute income mobility” – the fraction of children who earn more than their parents.  The results show that rates of absolute mobility have fallen sharply over the past half century; and that most of the decline in absolute mobility is driven by the more unequal distribution of economic growth in recent decades rather than the slowdown in GDP growth rates.

    The Fading American Dream: Trends in Absolute Income Mobility since 1940, by Raj Chetty, David Grusky, Maximilian Hell, Nathaniel Hendren, Robert Manduca and Jimmy Narang

  • Polarization of the British Class System

    Mike Savage discusses the results of the largest British class survey ever conducted. It shows that class divisions remain very powerful and are becoming more entrenched. There is a growing gulf between the elite and the lower classes, and what used to be termed the middle and working classes seem to be splintering into social classes with systematically differing amounts of cultural and social capital.

    The British class system is becoming more polarised between a prosperous elite and a poor ‘precariat’; by Mike Savage

  • Why Is Caring About Poverty and Not About Inequality Implausible?

    Branko Milanovic’s article is motivated by recent arguments made by Martin Feldstein in which the relevance of inequality is dismissed (if everybody’s income goes up, who cares if inequality is up too?), and the argument is made that only poverty alleviation should matter. This note shows that we all do care about inequality, and to hold that we should be concerned with poverty solely and not with inequality is internally inconsistent.

    Why We All Care About Inequality (But Are Loath to Admit It), by Branko Milanovic

  • Nostalgia and the Abandonment of Progress

    In this piece, Jean Pisani-Ferry discusses, what he calls, the abandonment of progress: many Western citizens have lost faith in progress: they no longer believe that the future will bring material improvement and that their children will have a better life than their own. They look backward because they are afraid to look ahead. A sentiment that is instrumentalized by current political leader across the globe.

    The Abandonment of Progress, by Jean Pisani-Ferry

     

  • The New Xenophobia

    Democratic governments in the West are increasingly losing their bearings. From the shift toward illiberalism in Poland and Hungary to the Brexit vote in the UK and Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election, a particularly toxic strain of populism is spreading through societies around the globe.

    The New Xenophobia; by Ngaire Woods

     

  • Poorer than their parents? A new perspective on income inequality

    The debate over rising inequality in advanced economies has focused on income and wealth gains going disproportionately to top earners. In this publication, researchers from the McKinsey Global Institute look at an aspect that has received less attention: households in developed economies whose incomes have not advanced when compared to their peers in the past.

    Poorer than their parents? Flat or falling incomes in advanced economies

     

  • The Brexit Mentality Goes Global

    The British vote to leave the European Union was the first major political victory of an anti-globalization backlash in an advanced industrial country. But the process is not best understood simply as popular revolt, but rather as elite failure, argues Harold James in his article on the so-called Brexit Mentality that is spreading.

    The Brexit Mentality Goes Global; by Harold James

  • Transparency, communication and trust : The role of public communication in responding to the wave of disinformation about the new Coronavirus

    The global spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been accompanied by a wave of disinformation that is undermining policy responses and amplifying distrust and concern among citizens. Around the world, governments are leveraging public communication to counteract disinformation and support policy. The efficacy of these actions will depend on grounding them in open government principles, chiefly transparency, to build trust in public institutions. This policy brief provides an overview of this new wave of disinformation and notes some emerging examples of OECD member countries’ responses to it through public communication initiatives specifically. It also offers preliminary guidelines on engaging with citizens during the crisis to help address this challenge.

    Read more.

  • Mitigating the work-security trade-off while rebooting the economy

    In getting people back to work before a vaccine is developed, policymakers will have to balance medical risks and economic risks. This column presents some calculations on the number of jobs that can be carried out without putting workers at risk of being infected by COVID-19. The findings suggest that the share of jobs that can be performed without putting workers’ health at risk is limited, and probably does not reach 50%. Importantly, this share is even lower in strategic industries that supply the health sector.

    Mitigating the work-security trade-off while rebooting the economy

    By Tito Boeri (INPS), Alessandro Caiumi (Bocconi University) and Marco Paccagnella (OECD)

  • The Military, Policing, and COVID-19

    Already today, the U.S. armed forces are providing important help here at home in the struggle against the novel coronavirus. Well over 10,000 members of the Army National Guard and Air Force National Guard have been mobilized to help with things like setting up more hospital capacity, transporting supplies, and providing other logistics. Other personnel, some retired, who have “Individual Ready Reserve” status are in some cases being activated when their particular skills in medicine or other crucial fields can help. They are typically doing so under what is called Title 32 of the U.S. code, whereby they are paid by the federal government but controlled by the governors of the individual states where they operate.

    The Military, Policing, and COVID-19

    By John R. Allen, John Donohue, Colonel Rick Fuentes, Paul Goldenberg, and Michael E. O’Hanlon (Brookings)

  • COVID-19: The Price of Negligence

    With the triumph of the ideology of “liberal globalization” and the rise of digital technology, the complexity of international relations burgeoned at the same time that borders became semi-porous walls. The strongest states, starting with the United States, and global companies that consider themselves to be above states, were the first beneficiaries, at least for a while. The characteristic of a complex system is that it is impossible to explain it completely, let alone control it. Complexity leads to radical uncertainty. In 2008 the spectre of another Great Depression loomed even though many Nobel Prize winners in economics considered their science to be advanced enough to preclude any return to such a scourge. Even as the damage of the financial crisis lingers, the COVID-19 pandemic reopens the prospect of a lasting economic catastrophe. Central bankers no longer put a limit on the amount of money but have no idea what their actions’ second or third consequences will be. As Laurence Boone, the OECD’s chief economist puts it, common sense suggests “we must do everything we can to ensure that the machine does not break down, but idles, so that it can start up again as quickly as possible.” If we let it break down, however many trillions of dollars are poured into it, that will be a different story.

    COVID-19: The Price of Negligence

    By Thierry de Montbrial (IFRI)

  • The COVID-19 Pandemic: Government vs. Community Action Across the United States

    Using data from 40 million mobile devices across the US, this paper analyses how state and county governments’ non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI) aimed at restricting social contact interact with individuals’ physical distancing behavior in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We use difference-in-differences and instrumental-variable approaches to find that such NPIs lead to a significant uptake in physical distancing. Our estimates show that shelter-in-place policies can increase time spent at home by as much as 39%. Nevertheless, individuals engage in limited physical distancing even in the absence of NPIs, once the virus takes hold in their area. Moreover, we show that governments are more likely to implement lock-down policies if they face a population that does not take physical distancing measures on its own. Our analysis suggests that non-causal econometric approaches studying how the uptake in physical distancing responds to lock-down policies will yield biased results. Exploiting county-level data, we document significant socio-economic heterogeneity in individuals’ responses to the spread of COVID-19 and to lock-downs, and show how state- and county-level policies interact.

    The COVID-19 Pandemic: Government vs. Community Action Across the United States

    By Adam Brzezinski, Guido Deiana, Valentin Kecht and David Van Dijcke (University of Oxford – The Institute for New Economic Thinking)

  • Germany needs to lead push for European solidarity in crisis

    Hertie School President Henrik Enderlein argues that Europe needs a strong signal of European solidarity in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, but Germany in particular fails to recognise the historic proportions of this undertaking. It has reduced itself to the role of the model student who cannot help but lecture others along the way.

    Germany needs to lead push for European solidarity in crisis

    By Hendrik Enderlein (Hertie School)

In The Spotlight

T20 Italy recognizes Global Solutions Summit as associated event

Global Solutions Summit has been recognized as an associated event by Think20 Italy under its G20 presidency. The Summit 2021 aims to support the T20 and G20 by bringing together top researchers, policymakers, business leaders and civil society representatives in a renowned […]


Global Solutions Journal G20/T20 Italy 2021 Edition

Out Now: The Global Solutions Journal G20/T20 Italy 2021 Edition focuses on Italy’s G20 priorities, overcoming the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Digital Governance and New Measurement.  Authors from various sectors – politics, research, academia, business, and civil society – have contributed to this multifaceted edition. 


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