
200 UNU-WIDER articles, publications, projects, experts...
Filter by...
Blog
Age composition of population and Covid-19The novel Covid-19 is affecting the advanced countries in the Western Hemisphere disproportionately more than developing countries. In this post, Basu...
Background Note
COVID-19 and socioeconomic impact in AsiaSeveral countries have enacted lockdown measures in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to protect their health systems and reduce the number of mortalities. One of the most extreme national lockdown measures has been taken by the government of India...
Blog
How do we live with corona?People who live through extreme events are, often deeply, altered by the experiences they have. Even when those experiences take place predominantly...
Background Note
COVID-19 and socioeconomic impact in AfricaWhat has the government of South Africa done with respect to COVID-19 measures of mitigation and suppression? The first COVID-19 positive case was confirmed on 5 March 2020. Just ten days later, South Africa had 61 positive cases and President...
Blog
How Africa can fight the pandemic
The response to Africa’s COVID-19 plight must be swift and at scale rather than too little, too late. In a world short of progressive global...
Blog
Migrant workers in the Covid-19 pandemicMillions of migrant workers around the world provide valuable income for their families and contribute more broadly to the economies of both their...
Blog
The five criteria low income countries must have in place for lockdowns to workAs the COVID-19 virus has spread across the globe, developing countries are starting to enact many of the same policies used in China, Europe, and...
Background Note
COVID-19 and socioeconomic impact in AfricaThe COVID-19 pandemic has now spread to over 180 countries, including several countries in sub-Saharan Africa. 1 Kenya reported its first COVID-19 case on 13 March 2020. By 31 March the number of confirmed cases had risen to 59, with over 70 per cent...
Blog
An unprecedented threat requires unprecedented leadership: What is needed from global powers
COVID-19 is the greatest global threat the world has faced since the Second World War. It is not the deadliest or most infectious disease recorded...
Working Paper
COVID-19: mortality, future years lost, and demographic structureCOVID-19 causes extremely high mortality among the old. This motivates a comparison of the losses of future lifetime years and future lifetime years of work ensuing from a hypothetical 25,000 excess deaths in Italy, whose affluent population is one of...
Blog
Artificial intelligence vs. COVID-19 in developing countries: Priorities and trade-offs
The rush to harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the fight against the pandemic may be an opportunity for developing countries to accelerate the...
Background Note
Artificial intelligence versus COVID-19 in developing countriesIn this note, I will refer to current efforts to harness artificial intelligence (AI) in the push back against COVID-19, note its promises, limitations, potential pitfalls, and identify priorities for developing countries. Artificial Intelligence is...
Blog
When COVID-19 comes to Africa
There is no telling how long it will take to bring the COVID-19 coronavirus under control, or how many people will be affected. But African...
Blog
Will COVID-19 lead to half a billion more people living in poverty in developing countries?The impacts of COVID-19 in developing countries are starting to be felt. The Economist went as far as to call it the ‘next calamity’ , noting how...
Working Paper
Estimates of the impact of COVID-19 on global povertyIn this paper we make estimates of the potential short-term economic impact of COVID-19 on global monetary poverty through contractions in per capita household income or consumption. Our estimates are based on three scenarios: low, medium, and high...
Blog
To die from hunger or the virus: An all too real dilemma for the poor in India (and elsewhere)
On March 24, in a speech to the nation, Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, announced a 21-day lockdown. With only four hours’ notice, 1.3 billion...