2020•06•12 Helsinki
New research from the UNU World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) estimates that extreme poverty could spike as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Key findings from the working paper, Precarity and the Pandemic: COVID-19 and Poverty Incidence, Intensity and Severity in Developing Countries — a joint effort between UNU-WIDER, King’s College London, and Australian National University — include:
To address global poverty impacts, the authors — Andy Sumner and Eduardo Ortiz-Juarez of King’s College London and Chris Hoy from Australian National University — propose a three-point policy plan:
Contextualising the policy plan, Professor Andy Sumner added, “The actual poverty impacts will be determined by what governments do to mitigate the damaging consequences of the pandemic. We have a three-point plan, but global leadership is urgently needed on this. The world’s poorest can’t wait until the G7 meeting in September or the G20 meeting in November”.
More information regarding the study can be found on the UNU-WIDER website.