The Political Scar of Epidemics
What will be the political legacy of the Coronavirus pandemic? We find that epidemic exposure in an individual’s “impressionable years” (ages 18 to 25...
Inflation after the pandemic: Theory and practice
The correlation between monetary growth and inflation has an historic pedigree as long as your arm. This column argues that rejecting the likelihood...
Regulatory reforms: the silver lining after COVID-19
Fiscal crises spur regulatory reform, which, in turn, speed up economic recovery, write Simeon Djankov, Dorina Georgieva and Hibret Maemir.
How governments can ease the entry of ‘recovery entrepreneurs'
Crises bring creative destruction. It's time to help new companies and job opportunities emerge, write Simeon Djankov and Frederic Meunier.
Revenge of the experts: Will COVID-19 renew or diminish trust in science?
It is argued that COVID-19 will reverse the ongoing trend of challenging the value of science and the integrity of scientists. This column shows that...
Gendered Laws And Women In The Workforce
This paper offers for the first time a global picture of gender discrimination by the law as it affects women’s economic opportunity and charts the...
Regulatory Reforms after Covid
Fiscal crises, particularly following a pandemic of the magnitude of Covid-19, spur regulatory reform, for example in registering property, trading...
COVID-19: A Double Whammy of Financial and Economic Sudden Stops for Emerging Economies
While it is too early to say how the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will ultimately affect emerging market economies (EMs), experience...
The Economic Risk of COVID-19 in Developing Countries: Where is it Highest?
We measure the economic risk of COVID-19 in developing countries using pre- pandemic data sources. Following the standard conceptual model of...
Coping with a Dual Shock: Perspective from the Middle East and North Africa
Countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) face a dual shock from the Covid-19 pandemic and a collapse in oil prices. The dual shock has...
Revenge of the Experts: Will COVID-19 Renew or Diminish Public Trust in Science?
An effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is sometimes suggested, will be to reverse the secular trend toward questioning the value of scientific...
Exchange Rate Exposure and Firm Dynamics
This paper develops a heterogeneous firm-dynamics model to jointly study firms’ currency debt composition and investment choices. In our model...
Measuring the Ex-Ante Incentive Effects of Bankruptcy Reorganization Procedures
The EU’s 2019 Insolvency Directive increases debt holders’ control over bankruptcy reorganization proceedings, mirroring recent trends in U.S. Chapter...
Public Procurement in Law and Practice
We examine a new data set of laws and practices governing public procurement, as well as procurement outcomes, in 187 countries. We measure regulation...
Survival of Firms during Economic Crisis
We estimate the survival time of nearly 7,000 firms in a dozen of high-income and middle-income countries in a scenario of extreme economic distress...
When economic informality is high, cash transfers may be the best Covid response
Job retention schemes, unemployment benefits and business loans may not apply in many developing countries, write Erica Bosio and Simeon Djankov.