Suchergebnisse

The global Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in measures to control the spread of the virus in almost every country in the world, including the closure of many workplaces and limitations on gatherings. As a key governance institution whose primary law-making functions feature lively discussion and debate, parliaments have been presented with a challenge – how can they continue their crucial work, at a time when scrutiny of government actions to tackle the crisis is vital, and demands from citizens are rising, while respecting the new limitations, safeguarding MPs and staff, and acting as a visible public role model? Many parliaments have chosen to continue their important work by establishing a 'virtual' or semi-virtual presence. This has taken a variety of forms in different countries, some of which are highlighted in this paper as it considers emerging practice. The purpose of this paper is to act as a practical guide to the opportunities, considerations, and challenges involved in any decision to operate a virtual parliament. Reviewing the diverse ways in which different institutions have responded to the challenge of transforming their processes and procedures in a very short space of time provides some clear insight for parliaments around the world to consider as they make their own plans and adjustments.

Nationalist obsessions and failure to grasp the transboundary ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic characterise the deficient responses of the world's two leading regional organisations. Serious reputational damage has been inflicted on the European Union and ASEAN.

The global trade outlook following the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic is undeniably dark. For a durable recovery it is imperative to build on the leadership that some governments have shown and revive the multilateral system.

As the fourth global psycho-seismic shock, the COVID-19 pandemic has destabilising impacts. It is futile to predict the road ahead. Will it lead to a new "Global Dark Age", or unprecedented progress?

The impact of COVID-19 has exposed challenges to the concept of social resilience as a guiding principle steering how society can respond positively to crises.

The COVID-19 pandemic has bolstered the case for large-scale government intervention in the economy and in ensuring social welfare. It has thrown into further doubt the neoliberal notion that shrinking the public sector to empower the private market will deliver optimal social and economic outcomes.

The Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SPDI) provides the global sustainable development community with representation from Pakistan as well as South Asia as a whole. This quarterly publication provides Research and News bulletins on current events affecting Pakistan and surrounding South Asian countries.

The Asia Foundation has worked alongside government partners, civil society, and communities in Nepal for 30 years. In Nepal, the Foundation has a long history of supporting and encouraging peaceful resolution of conflict at the national and subnational levels; enhancing women's rights and security; supporting accountable local governance; and broadening economic opportunity. Building on three decades of programming, the Foundation stands ready to strategically adapt its portfolio given the current context of Covid-19. In trusting and supporting Government of Nepal's (GoN) commitment to economic growth and democracy, the Foundation's Nepal office pursues the following broad thematic areas: education, governance, labor migration and economic recovery, and data and information.

The COVID-19 pandemic, and the ensuing economic shock, has prompted governments all around the globe to act swiftly and decisively to mitigate the health and economic impacts of the crisis. Each country has responded in its way, and it is useful to look at these different responses to identify good practices. In this issue, we will be looking at the case studies of Ukraine, Georgia, and Albania, including an analysis of the fiscal measures these countries have taken and an overview of the economic forecasts for 2020 and 2021.

On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as a pandemic. Since then, many countries across the six (6) continents imposed temporary partial or full lockdowns to halt mass mobility and contain the spread of the virus. As governments focus their efforts and resources domestically, it is essential to emphasize that cooperation at various levels—bilateral, regional, and international—is crucial to effectively resolve the present global health crisis. Hence, diplomacy plays a vital role in facilitating exchanges among different actors and in coordinating dispersed initiatives towards a collective goal. For the Philippines's Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), realizing the country's foreign policy objectives during a pandemic falls under its three pillars, namely: (i) preserving national security; (ii) promoting economic security; and (iii) ensuring the safety and welfare of Filipinos overseas. This paper seeks to address the question, "How has the DFA advanced Philippine foreign policy amid the COVID-19 crisis?" It will discuss COVID-19-related developments, key efforts by the DFA, and the ways forward.

President Joko Widodo has reshuffled his cabinet in a bid to better manage efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and end the country's recession. For the first time, Indonesia will have a health minister who is not a doctor.

Estonia's digital infrastructure and IT savviness, developed since the mid-1990s, helped manage the COVID-19 pandemic. The Baltic state is cushioning the effects of post-globalisation and associated threats with increased international cooperation in digitalisation and cyber governance.

This Discussion Paper presents the approach, findings, and recommendations from a desk review of the qualitative research conducted within Results-Based Financing programmes (RBF) under the Health Results Innovations Trust Fund (HRITF). The review included 17 studies conducted in Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, DRC, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The studies reveal a body of high quality work that is consistent with the conceptual framework of RBF schemes, supported by political will, resources, and research capacity. Strengthening the added value of qualitative inquiry in on-going and future qualitative studies may be enabled by small shifts in thinking and practice, in line with a qualitative research paradigm. First, in order to better ground research in an existing country and system specific context, some interrogation of constructs and posited relationships in the existing conceptual framework for intervention/evaluation may be required. Second, to enable more in-depth and richer data that documents working practices and relations under RBF schemes, training of local researchers should place stronger emphasis on entry to the field, gaining trust, building rapport, and sustaining a dialogue with key informants. Third, smaller, more intensive and focused studies targeting fewer sites and smaller samples - but addressing a wider range of methods and informants within the health system - are likely to yield richer data that can support the understanding of how health workers and managers are responding to schemes, and what impact schemes have on service volumes and outputs.

As of June 7, 2015, Sierra Leone had reported more than 12,900 cases of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), and over 3,900 deaths since the outbreak began. In recent months, substantial progress has been made, with a maximum of 15 new cases per week reported following a nationwide lockdown and information campaign at the end of March. The Government of Sierra Leone, with support from the World Bank Group, has been conducting mobile phone surveys with the aim of capturing the key socio-economic effects of the virus. Three rounds of data collection have been conducted, in November 2014, January-February 2015, and May 2015. The survey was given to household heads for whom cell phone numbers were recorded during the nationally-representative Labor Force Survey conducted in July and August 2014. Overall, 66 percent of the 4,199 households sampled in that survey had cell phones, although this coverage was uneven across the country, with higher levels in urban areas (82 percent) than rural areas (43 percent). Of those with cell phones, 51 percent were surveyed in all three rounds, and 79 percent were reached in at least one round. The results for the third round of the survey, which contacted 1,715 households, focus mainly on employment, agriculture, food security and prices, and health service utilization, covering predominantly urban areas where cell phone coverage is highest, but including rural areas as much as possible given the sample available.

This paper examines poor households in the city of Mumbai and their exposure, vulnerability, and ability to respond to recurrent floods. The paper discusses policy implications for future adaptive capacity, resilience, and poverty alleviation. The study focuses particularly on the poor households, which tend to have greater exposure and vulnerability to floods and limited ability to respond given the constraints on physical and financial resources. The study seeks to understand the implications of the fact that poor households are more likely than non-poor households to be located in flood-prone areas. The study used the land use maps for the selected flood-prone areas to determine the extent and spread of poor and non-poor households and other types of assets and activities in areas with chronic and localized flooding. Primary data were obtained through detailed household surveys to understand the vulnerability and impacts of the extreme floods of July 2005, recurrent floods and the ability of households to respond and cope. The study examined the option of relocation to flood-free areas and identified factors that influence families' decisions regarding relocation. The study finds that a significantly large proportion of poor households are located near areas with chronic and localized flooding. These households are either below the poverty line or have low incomes and reside in informal settlements or old and dilapidated structures. Future climate risks are likely to put greater burden on the poor and push them further into poverty unless well directed efforts are made to protect them.