The period of the COVID-19 pandemic will be marked and remembered. It will certainly be known for the ongoing health crisis that has reverberated across the world, leading to significant social impacts, rising inequality and poverty rates, and the steepest recession in Europe since World War II. It could, however, also be known as the trigger for a shift towards policies that will enhance developmental and environmental outcomes. With economies at a crossroads, it is up to governments to make this shift happen.
This report explores the impacts of COVID-19 on inclusive growth and considers the policies that are needed to strengthen resilience and to ensure that inclusivity is woven into the fabric of societies. It also focuses on the effect of COVID-19 on growth and public finances, the extent to which different regions, sectors, people and households have been affected by the crisis, and the ability of different populations to cope with the effects of the crisis through their capacity to absorb shocks and the coverage of support programmes.