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Whatever it takes? The global financial safety net, Covid-19, and developing countries

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  • Stubbs, Thomas
  • Kring, William
  • Laskaridis, Christina
  • Kentikelenis, Alexander
  • Gallagher, Kevin

Abstract

Multilateral financial institutions have pledged to do whatever it takes to enable emerging market and developing countries to fill a $2.5 trillion financing gap to combat Covid-19 and subsequent economic crises. In this article, we present new datasets to track the extent to which multilateral financial institutions are meeting these goals, and conduct a preliminary assessment of progress to date. We find that the International Monetary Fund and the principal regional financial arrangements have made relatively trivial amounts of new financing available and have been slow to disburse the financing at their disposal. As of July 31, 2020, these institutions had committed $89.56 billion in loans and $550 million in currency swaps, totaling $90.11 billion—just 12.6% of their current capacity. The new datasets allow scholars, policymakers, and civil society to continue to track these trends, and eventually examine the impact of such financing on health and development outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Stubbs, Thomas & Kring, William & Laskaridis, Christina & Kentikelenis, Alexander & Gallagher, Kevin, 2021. "Whatever it takes? The global financial safety net, Covid-19, and developing countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:137:y:2021:i:c:s0305750x20302989
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105171
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    8. Tomás R. Bolaño-Ortiz & S. Enrique Puliafito & Lucas L. Berná-Peña & Romina M. Pascual-Flores & Josefina Urquiza & Yiniva Camargo-Caicedo, 2020. "Atmospheric Emission Changes and Their Economic Impacts during the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown in Argentina," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-29, October.
    9. Stephen Malpezzi, 2023. "Housing affordability and responses during times of stress: A preliminary look during the COVID‐19 pandemic," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 41(1), pages 9-40, January.
    10. Yushkov, A. & Alexeev, M., 2021. "The fiscal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Russian regions: An overview of federal support measures," Journal of the New Economic Association, New Economic Association, vol. 51(3), pages 232-242.
    11. Matthew Sparke & Owain David Williams, 2022. "Neoliberal disease: COVID-19, co-pathogenesis and global health insecurities," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 54(1), pages 15-32, February.
    12. Chiara Mariotti & María José Romero, 2022. "Demystifying Bretton Woods Institutions’ Rhetoric on Public Services," Development, Palgrave Macmillan;Society for International Deveopment, vol. 65(2), pages 217-227, December.

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