The COVID-19 pandemic had a very large impact on government finances. As governments saw their revenues reduced and their expenditures increased to cope with the health and social emergencies, the public debt rapidly mounted. By the end of 2020, the debt-to-GDP ratios had increased by 10 percentage points (pp) compared to pre pandemic levels in the average emerging … [Read more...] about How Do Inflation Shocks Affect Public Debt Dynamics?
public spending
Aligning Public Investments with Sustainable and Climate Goals
Increasing disaster risks in developing countries call for strategic planning and investments in resilient and low-carbon infrastructure. The tsunami that caused extensive destruction and loss of life in Tonga in January 2022 stressed the vulnerability of developing countries, especially small island developing states, to disasters triggered by natural hazards, such as … [Read more...] about Aligning Public Investments with Sustainable and Climate Goals
How to decentralize Chile in a fiscally responsible way
Chile remains one of the more centralized unitary countries within the OECD and also among emerging markets. Regional governments have traditionally been deconcentrated arms of the central government, with virtually non-existent own revenues. Municipalities have also a more limited range of responsibilities than is typical internationally. Successive governments of different … [Read more...] about How to decentralize Chile in a fiscally responsible way
Data: The Main Ingredient in Public Procurement 4.0
The scene repeats itself over and over again. The end of the month arrives and you ask yourself: “How did I spend my salary so quickly? How do I make it last? What am I investing in?” If you could have all this information in one place, would you be interested in accessing it? The same thing happens to governments. They try to achieve efficient spending while at the same … [Read more...] about Data: The Main Ingredient in Public Procurement 4.0