Suchergebnisse

PurposeThis paper aims to assess to what extent the COVID-19 shock is expected to create a debt crisis in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) through two main questions: what are the main determinants of EMDEs external vulnerability? How vulnerable are EMDEs to the current COVID-19 shock compared to the global financial crisis (GFC)?Design/methodology/approachIn addition to a descriptive analysis of the determinants of EMDEs external vulnerability, this paper designs two sub-indices of overindebtedness and financial fragility that capture EMDEs' distinct characteristics. The two sub-indices together illustrate the overall external vulnerability to the current shock.FindingsEMDEs are more vulnerable compared to the GFC era. Current debt threats arise mainly from debt architecture and the domination of volatile debt forms – primarily foreign currency-denominated bonds. Excessive fear of debt-deflation spirals after the GFC prompted EMDEs to expand their growth trajectories through a pattern of cheap private lending, loose measures and unmonitored fiscal expansion.Research limitations/implicationsConclusive post-crisis data are still unavailable.Practical implicationsEMDEs need to balance between temporary accommodative measures and a post-shock policy mix that prevent a deflation spiral without worsening indebtedness and financial fragility. Moreover, financial prudence in face of growing credit demand is crucial, particularly in light of the monetary expansion and injected liquidity.Originality/valueThe indices offer a framework for examining external vulnerability in EMDEs based on theoretical and historical revisions, IMF benchmarks and EMDEs specific debt characteristics. The indices components can be offered for empirical examination in separate future research once conclusive data become available.

Despite progress on a number of goals, the world was not moving fast enough towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in the pre-COVID era. The Decade of Action started with the hit of the COVID-19 crisis, which stressed the urgent need to tackle the root causes of vulnerabilities. This paper explores the roles of different critical actors towards achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs), namely national governments; local and regional governments and local communities; and the business sector as well as the interactions among these actors that facilitate the implementation of the SDGs. The paper also discusses how the SDGs provide an operational framework for building back better during the response and recovery phases from the crisis and how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the policy scene to reimagine the roles played by the different actors. Lastly, the paper elaborates on three critical factors that would shape the degree of progress in the next decade, namely dependable data, adequate finance and effective implementation of development policies. ; A pesar del progreso en una serie de objetivos, el mundo no avanzaba lo suficientemente rápido hacia el logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible en la era anterior a COVID. La Década de Acción comenzó con el impacto de la crisis de COVID-19, que enfatizó la urgente necesidad de abordar las causas profundas de las vulnerabilidades. Este documento explora los roles de diferentes actores críticos hacia el logro de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS), a saber, los gobiernos nacionales; gobiernos locales y regionales y comunidades locales; y el sector empresarial, así como las interacciones entre estos actores que facilitan la implementación de los ODS. El documento también analiza cómo los ODS proporcionan un marco operativo para reconstruir mejor durante las fases de respuesta y recuperación de la crisis y cómo la pandemia de COVID-19 ha cambiado el escenario de las políticas para reinventar los roles desempeñados por los diferentes actores. Por último, el documento desarrolla tres factores críticos que darían forma al grado de progreso en la próxima década, a saber, datos confiables, financiamiento adecuado y la implementación efectiva de políticas de desarrollo.

PurposeEradicating extreme poverty remains one of the most significant and challenging sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the Middle East and North African (MENA) region. The latest World Bank statistics from 2018 show that extreme poverty in MENA increased from 2.6% to 5% between 2013 and 2015. MENA ranks third among developing regions for extreme poverty and fell short of halving extreme poverty by 2015 – the target established by the United Nations' (UN) millennium development goals, the precursor to the SDGs. The purpose of this study is to analyze the impact of financial inclusion on extreme poverty for a sample of 34 countries over the period 1990–2017.Design/methodology/approachUsing system general method of moments dynamic panel estimation methodology on annual data for 11 MENA countries and 23 emerging markets (EMs) over the period 1990 – 2017, this study begins by estimating the impact of financial inclusion – using measures of access and usage – on the eradication of extreme poverty by 2030, the first goal of the SDGs.FindingsThe results of the study indicate that, on one hand, financial access measures have a positive, statistically significant impact on reducing extreme poverty for the full sample and the MENA region. The second part of the study uses a gap analysis against four poverty targets – 0%, 1.5%, 3% and 5% – and shows that no MENA country and few EM countries will be able to close the extreme poverty gap and reach the target of 0% by 2030 by depending solely on improvements in financial access. These targets are based on the two benchmarks set by the World Bank and the UN, with intermediaries to capture error and give a fuller picture of what is possible. However, if improvements in financial inclusion alone can bring every EM and MENA country except Djibouti and Romania to bring the most accessible target of reducing global extreme poverty to no more than 5% by 2030.Originality/valueWhile research on poverty reduction in the region tends to focus on financial development and governance, less attention has been paid to the role of financial inclusion. SDG 1 – eliminating poverty in all its forms – explicitly highlights the importance of access to financial services. Indeed, evidence from Argentina, India, Kenya, Malawi, Niger and other countries demonstrates the ways in which financial inclusion can impact poverty (Klapper, El-Zoghbi and Hess, 2016). When people are included in the financial system, they are better able to improve their health, invest in education and business and make choices that benefit their entire families. Financial inclusion advances governments, too: introducing vast segments of the population into the financial system by digitizing social transfers, for example, can cut government costs and reduce leakage, with benefits that ripple across society. Yet, the links between financial inclusion and poverty reduction in MENA are less established. This study aims to analyze the importance of financial inclusion in addressing extreme poverty by 2030, the year UN member states set as a target for achieving the SDGs.

This paper examines how economic ideas have been shaped throughout history and the influence of these on the formulation of economic policy. We collect both quantitative and qualitative data from economists who are originally from the Middle East and North Africa region or working on the region. We find that economists and their ideas are more likely to be influenced by multiple schools of thought than adhere to one school. This multiplicity spills over into the type of solutions proposed to economic problems and thus policy implications. One of the main recommendations of this study is that there is a need for the development of economics and economists to recognize the impact of political and social issues that are not easy to grasp through modeling.

Ideas for Action is a youth competition on initiatives to implement the Sustainable Development Goals launched in November 2014 by the World Bank Group and the Zicklin Center for Business Ethics Research at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The 2019 winners (3 top teams, 4 runners-up, and 11 honorable mentions) were selected from more than 3,000 proposals submitted by more than 21,000 team members from 142 countries. This year witnessed an unparalleled level of growing recognition with a 50 percent increase in proposals over 2018. The winning proposals were selected through a rigorous selection process that judged the projects on depth and clarity, significance of impact, originality and creativity, and feasibility. The teams had to showcase a strong proposal that presented a potential for impact on a large number of people with a practical roadmap for implementation. In addition to young staff members, reviewers included executives from Firmenich, Flour Mills of Nigeria, the German–Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, PepsiCo, the Wharton School, and the World Bank Group. Other competition partners included the International Labour Organization, Hemofarm, the World Bank Group's Youth to Youth Community (Y2Y) and Youth Summit, Knowledge @ Wharton, and the United Nations Youth Assembly. Youth participation in the 2030 Development Agenda is crucial. This initiative is a knowledge-sharing platform that empowers young professionals with the support and tools needed to engage in the conversation with leading professionals in the global development industry and the private sector. Through their use of technology—such as rainwater harvesting, reusable plastics, mobile apps, and devices—young people have ideas to make an exponential impact. The goal is to support truly workable and actionable results by connecting leading schools of finance and management with governments around the world to build partnerships that bolster these ideas into effective implementation. This book recognizes the incredible talent and spirit that these young people bring to the global development conversation.

AbstractThe paper makes two contributions. First, it analyzes net foreign assets (NFA) and liabilities in selected Arab countries. Second, the paper examines the effects of policy variables that affect the accumulation of NFA and its components, analyzing how the existence of a sovereign wealth fund (SWF), the country's exchange rate regime, and the development of its financial system affect its NFA. The main findings show that the presence of a SWF is positively and significantly associated with foreign direct investment in Arab countries. While financial development matters, intermediate exchange rate regimes are associated to more uncertainty compared to fixed or flexible ones. Our results remain robust even we control for the endogeneity between SWF and NFA components.