Call for Applications for the 2020-21 GLO Virtual Young Scholars Program (GLO VirtYS): Deadline August 20, 2020.

Completing a very successful first cohort 2019-20, Global Labor Organization (GLO) invites interested young scholars to apply for participation in the

2020-21 GLO Virtual Young Scholars Program (GLO VirtYS)

Application deadline: August 20, 2020, 5 pm GMT
PDF of this call

About GLO: The Global Labor Organization (GLO) is a global, independent, non-partisan and non-governmental organization that has no institutional position. The GLO functions as an international network and virtual platform for researchers, policy makers, practitioners and the general public interested in scientific research and its policy and societal implications on global labor markets, demographic challenges and human resources. These topics are defined broadly in line with its Mission to embrace the global diversity of labor markets, institutions, and policy challenges, covering advanced economies as well as transition and less developed countries.

Program’s Goal: In the spirit of the GLO Mission, the GLO VirtYS program’s goal is to contribute to the development of the future generation of researchers, who are committed to the creation of policy-relevant research, are well equipped to work in collaboration with policy makers and other stakeholders, and adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity. This goal is achieved through the process of working on a specific research paper within the duration of the program, which is 9 months.

Program’s Advisory Board:

  • Jan van Ours, Professor of Applied Economics, Erasmus School of Economics Rotterdam, Netherlands, & Professorial Fellow, University of Melbourne, Australia
  • Marie Claire Villeval, Research Professor, CNRS GATE, France
  • Marco Vivarelli, Professor at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milano and Director of the Department of Economic Policy
  • Le Wang, Chong K. Liew Chair and Professor & President’s Associates Presidential Professor, University of Oklahoma, USA
  • Klaus F. Zimmermann, Professor Emeritus, Bonn University, UNU-MERIT & President of GLO

GLO VirtYS Program Director:

  • Dr Olena Nizalova, Senior Research Fellow (Associate Professor) in Health Economics at the University of Kent and Director of the Q-Step Program.
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Nizalova-Olena-300x300.jpg

Program’s Activities:

  • Virtual kick-off meeting of all the participants and Thematic Cluster advisors, who will be appointed by the participating Cluster leads to match closely participants’ research interests.
  • One-to-one activities with the Thematic Cluster Advisor will be agreed upon at the beginning of the scholarship period in an Individual Research Plan. These activities at a minimum shall include 2-3 virtual consultations, 1 review round of the completed research work and a discussion of the amendments (if needed) to follow up.
  • Provide a virtual platform for the GLO VirtYS program participants to present their findings and receive feedback from their peers and the GLO wider community.
  • The scholarship will conclude in June 2021, when the GLO Management Board will make a decision on whether to extend an invitation to the graduate of the GLO Virtual Scholar Program to join the organization as a GLO Fellow, based on the recommendation from their Thematic Cluster Advisors and evaluation of the GLO VirtYS Advisory Board.

Research proposals are invited within one of the following GLO thematic clusters:

  1. Coronavirus
  2. Development, Health, Inequality and Behavior
  3. Gender
  4. Labor Markets in Africa
  5. School-to-Work Transition
  6. Technological Change
  7. Economics of Happiness

Involved: GLO Cluster Leads & the GLO VirtYS Program Director

Benefits to the GLO VYSP Scholars:

  • All GLO VirtYS program participants will be appointed GLO Affiliates, if they are not already, and receive a GLO Bio page.
  • GLO VirtYS program participants will be listed with pictures on the glabor.org website of the program.
  • Feedback on their research from leading researchers in the area of their interest.
  • Networking opportunities with researchers from other countries within the same area and beyond.
  • (Priority) access to GLO activities.
  • Interactions with the scholars of the cohort, program’s alumni, and the future cohorts.
  • Opportunity to promote own research via GLO channels.
  • Completed research paper ready for submission to the GLO Discussion Paper series.
  • Possibility of promotion to GLO Fellow after exceptional performance.

Eligibility criteria:

  • Applicant must be either currently enrolled in a doctoral program or be within 2 years after graduation as evidenced by the letter from the degree awarding institution or a degree certificate.
  • Applicant must be at an advanced stage of the analysis of a specific research question within the corresponding GLO Thematic Cluster to which he/she is applying as evidenced by the submitted draft.
  • Applicant must be supported by a letter of endorsement from either one of the GLO Fellows or from the administration of one of the GLO supporting institutions.

How to apply:

Selection procedure:

  • The GLO Virtual Young Scholars will be selected by a Scientific Selection Committee consisting of the GLO VirtYS Program Director, GLO thematic cluster leads participating in the current year, and a member of the GLO Management Board.
  • The results of selection of the GLO VirtYS program will be posted on the GLO site www.glabor.org by September 20, 2020. Scholars will be notified via email. In the 2020-21 academic year we expect to select 5-7 scholars.
  • The final research paper should be submitted by June 30th, by 5 pm GMT.
  • Upon completion of the program and based on the quality of the produced research paper, some of the GLO VirtYS program graduates may be invited to become GLO Fellows and their paper accepted as a GLO Discussion Paper.

Evaluation criteria for applications:

  1. Research excellence (50 points)
  2. Policy relevance of the research question in a local and/or global context (25 points).
  3. Potential for capacity development (25 points; preference will be given to the applicants for which the GLO Young Scholars Program can bring the highest capacity development, compared to what the applicant would have achieved without being a GLO Young Scholar)

Application procedure:

Many applicants apply in the last days before the submission deadline. To avoid last minute problems,  we ask applicants to apply in advance. Applications received after the deadline or applications that do not meet the requirements set out below will not be accepted.

To apply please complete the online application form with three attachments:

1. Research proposal (maximum 2 pages including references, single-spaced, font size 12) should include the following information:

  • Formulation of the problem/ research question.
  • Research methodology (data and empirical approach).
  • (Potential) Practical/Policy implications.
  • Reference list.

2. 2-page CV

3. Transcript from the doctoral program or doctoral degree certificate

4. Letter of endorsement for the candidate and the research proposal from either one of the GLO fellows or from the administration of one of the GLO supporting institutions reflecting on the potential of the candidate to benefit from the Program and the merits of the research proposal.

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Family stress and domestic violence under Covid-19

A new GLO Discussion Paper finds for Canada that remote work on a large scale does not lead to family violence.

The Global Labor Organization (GLO) is an independent, non-partisan and non-governmental organization that functions as an international network and virtual platform to stimulate global research, debate and collaboration.

GLO Discussion Paper No. 571, 2020

Covid-19, Family Stress and Domestic Violence: Remote Work, Isolation and Bargaining PowerDownload PDF
by
Beland, Louis-Philippe & Brodeur, Abel & Haddad, Joanne & Mikola, Derek

GLO Fellows Louis-Philippe Beland & Abel Brodeur

Author Abstract: We study the impacts of COVID-19 on domestic violence and family stress. Our empirical analysis relies on a unique online survey, the Canadian Perspective Survey Series, which allows us to investigate the mechanisms through which COVID-19 may affect family stress and domestic violence. We find no evidence that changes in work arrangements are related to self-reported levels of family stress and violence in the home due to confinement, suggesting that remote work on a large scale does not lead to family violence. In contrast, we find that the inability to meet financial obligations and maintaining social ties significantly increase reported family stress and domestic violence. These findings are consistent with two alternative mechanisms: social isolation and decreased bargaining power for women. Last, we provide suggestive evidence that receiving financial relief does not mitigate the effect of financial worries on domestic violence and family stress. We conclude that targeted programs supporting victims of domestic violence may be more effective.

More from the GLO Coronavirus Cluster

GLO Discussion Papers are research and policy papers of the GLO Network which are widely circulated to encourage discussion. Provided in cooperation with EconStor, a service of the ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, GLO Discussion Papers are among others listed in RePEc (see IDEAS,  EconPapers)Complete list of all GLO DPs – downloadable for free.

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Econometric Modeling of Human Fertility

A new GLO Discussion Paper reviews key contributions to econometric analysis of human fertility in the last 20 years.

The Global Labor Organization (GLO) is an independent, non-partisan and non-governmental organization that functions as an international network and virtual platform to stimulate global research, debate and collaboration.

GLO Discussion Paper No. 574, 2020

Econometric Models of FertilityDownload PDF
by
Miranda, Alfonso & Trivedi, Pravin K.

GLO Fellow Alfonso Miranda

Author Abstract: This paper reviews some key contributions to econometric analysis of human fertility in the last 20 years, with special focus on discussion of prevailing econometric modeling strategies. We focus on the literature that highlights the role of the key drivers of the birth outcomes, including age at entry into motherhood, the number of children, and the time between births. Our overall approach is to highlight the use of single equation reduced form modelling, which has important advantages but has the limitation of typically being unable to shed light on detailed causal mechanisms through which exogenous factors such as birth control and infant mortality, and policy variables such as child allowances and tax incentives, impact fertility. Structural models that embed causal mechanisms explicitly are better suited for this objective. We start with a description of the subject matter, including a brief review of existing theories of fertility behavior and a detailed discussion of the sources of data that are available to the analyst. At this point we stress the intrinsic dynamic nature of fertility decisions and how such dynamics create data with empirical features that pose important challenges for modelling. Once the nature of the problem and the characteristics of the data are spelled out, we proceed to review the different econometric approaches that have been used for modelling fertility outcomes with cross-section and panel data.

Cited papers include:

  • Winkelmann, R. (1995). Duration dependence and dispersion in count-data models. Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, 13(4):467–474.
  • Winkelmann, R. and Zimmermann, K. (1994). Count data models for demographic data. Mathematical Population Studies, 4(3):205–221.
  • Winkelmann, R. and Zimmermann, K. F. (1991). A new approach for modeling economic count data. Economics Letters, 37(2):139–143.

GLO Discussion Papers are research and policy papers of the GLO Network which are widely circulated to encourage discussion. Provided in cooperation with EconStor, a service of the ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, GLO Discussion Papers are among others listed in RePEc (see IDEAS,  EconPapers)Complete list of all GLO DPs – downloadable for free.

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Google Trends & Internet Data for Research

Social media data have become a reliable source for research in particular when traditional sources are unavailable. This happens in particular within crises like the 2008 Financial Crisis and the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic. Below list some of the original contributions to this literature. The studies were first “predicting” Obama using Google Trends. A seminal paper in 2009 was first using Google Trends to predict unemployment during the Financial Crisis. Other issues covered were detecting mortgage delinquencies, and health and well-being issues. The perspectives for research in social sciences were studied as well as the state of the art for unemployment predictions investigated.

Simionescu, Mihaela & Klaus F. Zimmermann, Big Data and Unemployment Analysis, GLO Discussion Paper, No. 81, 2017; published in Chinese in Journal of Renmin University of China, Volume 31 (2017), No.6, 2 – 11. Post.

Nikolaos Askitas and Klaus F. Zimmermann, Health and Well-being in the Great Recession, International Journal of Manpower 36 (2015), (1), 26-47.

Nikolaos Askitas and Klaus F. Zimmermann, The Internet as a Data Source for Advancement in Social Sciences, International Journal of Manpower 36 (2015), (1), 2-12. Pre-Publication Version.

Askitas, Nikos and Klaus F. Zimmermann, Detecting Mortgage Delinquencies, IZA Discussion Paper No. 5895 (2011). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1906198

Nikolaos Askitas and Klaus F. Zimmermann, Google Econometrics and Unemployment Forecasting, Applied Economics Quarterly, 55 (2009), pp. 107-120.

Amelie Constant and Klaus F. Zimmermann, Face to Face with the Financial Crisis: The U.S. Presidential Election from a Transnational Perspective, DIW Berlin Weekly Report, No. 16/2008, Vol. 4, January 19, 2009.

Amelie Constant and Klaus F. Zimmermann, Im Angesicht der Krise: US Präsidentschaftswahlen in transnationaler Sicht, DIW Wochenbericht, No. 44 (2008), 688-701.

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June 20 is World Refugee Day.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made the situation of refugees much more dramatic. The world has to address this challenge as one of the top priorities. Researchers can contribute in the long-run through studies on the sources of conflict, on the way to successfully integrate refugees into host and new home countries, and helping to develop proper policy responses.

Photo James Beheshti on Unsplash

On June 20 is World Refugee Day declared by the United Nations to raise awareness. COVID-19 has replaced the refugee topic from the top ranks of the World’s media reports, but it is still there. UNHCR has published last Thursday its Global Report 2019 on the world-wide refugee situation. UNHCR Figures at a Glance:

Figures at a glance

Recent studies by GLO Researchers:

GLO Discussion Paper No. 562
Occupational Sorting and Wage Gaps of Refugees
by
Baum, Christopher F. & Lööf, Hans & Stephan, Andreas & Zimmermann, Klaus F.
REVISED DRAFT: Download PDF

Abstract

Refugee workers start low and adjust slowly to the wages of comparable natives. The innovative approach in this study using unique Swedish employer-employee data shows that the observed wage gap between established refugees and comparable natives is mainly caused by occupational sorting into cognitive and manual tasks. Within occupations, it can be largely explained by differences in work experience. The identification strategy relies on a control group of matched natives with the same characteristics as the refugees, using panel data for 2003–2013 to capture unobserved heterogeneity.

GLO Discussion Paper No. 538
Estimating Poverty among Refugee Populations: A Cross-Survey Imputation Exercise for ChadDownload PDF
by
Beltramo, Theresa & Dang, Hai-Anh H. & Sarr, Ibrahima & Verme, Paolo

Abstract

Household consumption surveys do not typically cover refugee populations, and poverty estimates for refugees are rare. This paper tests the performance of cross-survey imputation methods to estimate poverty for a sample of refugees in Chad, by combining United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees survey and administrative data. The proposed method offers poverty estimates based on administrative data that fall within a 95 percent margin of poverty estimates based on survey consumption data. This result is robust to different poverty lines, sets of regressors, and modeling assumptions of the error term. The method outperforms common targeting methods, such as proxy means tests and the targeting method currently used by humanitarian organizations in Chad.

Infographic: The Countries Hosting the Most Refugees | Statista

Source.

Klaus F. Zimmermann: Selected refugee research.

Zimmermann, Klaus F., Refugee and Migrant Labor Market Integration: Europe in Need of a New Policy Agenda. Presented at the EUI Conference on the Integration of Migrants and Refugees, 29-30 September 2016 in Florence. Published in: Bauböck, R. and Tripkovic, M.,  The Integration of Migrants and Refugees.  An EUI Forum on Migration, Citizenship and Demography, European University Institute, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, Florence 2017, pp. 88 – 100. Published Version of article. Published full book.

Constant, Amelie F. & Klaus F. Zimmermann, Towards a New European Refugee Policy that Works. UNU – MERIT Working Paper # 2016-062, CESifo DICE Report – Journal of International Comparisons, 2016, 4, pp. 3-8.

Zimmermann, Klaus F., Migrationspolitik im Mediensturm (Migration Policy in the Media Storm), Wirtschaftspolitische Blätter, 63 (2016), 497-508.

Holger Hinte, Ulf Rinne and Klaus F. Zimmermann: Flüchtlinge in Deutschland: Herausforderungen und Chancen (Refugees in Germany: Challenges and chances), Wirtschaftsdienst, 95 (2015), 744-751.

Ulf Rinne and Klaus F. Zimmermann: Zutritt zur Festung Europa? Neue Anforderungen an eine moderne Asyl- und Flüchtlingspolitik (Access to Fortress Europa? New demands on a modern asylum and refugee policy), Wirtschaftsdienst, 95 (2015), 114-120.

Michael Vogler, Ralph Rotte and Klaus F. Zimmermann: South-North Refugee Migration: Lessons for Development Cooperation, Review of Development Economics, 1 (1997), pp. 99-115. Reprinted in: K. F. Zimmermann and T. Bauer (Eds.), The Economics of Migration, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., Cheltenham 2002, Vol. I, Part I, pp. 122-138.

Klaus F. Zimmermann, European Migration: Push and Pull, Proceedings volume of the World Bank Annual Conference on Development Economics 1994, Supplement to The World Bank Economic Review and The World Bank Research Observer, 10 (1995), pp. 313-342. Reprinted in: International Regional Science Review, 19 (1996), pp. 95-128; K. F. Zimmermann and T. Bauer (Eds.), The Economics of Migration, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., Cheltenham 2002, Vol. I, Part I, pp. 70-99.

Infographic: Venezuelan Refugee Crisis Grows in 2019 | Statista

Source.

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How Linguistic Traits Foster Human Capital Formation

A new GLO Discussion Paper finds that existing cross-language variations among migrants from the same countries of origin affected human capital accumulation of second generation migrants in the US.

The Global Labor Organization (GLO) is an independent, non-partisan and non-governmental organization that functions as an international network and virtual platform to stimulate global research, debate and collaboration.

GLO Discussion Paper No. 570, 2020

570 Linguistic Traits and Human Capital FormationDownload PDF
by
Galor, Oded & Özak, Ömer & Sarid, Assaf

GLO Fellows Oded Galor & Ömer Özak

Author Abstract: This research establishes empirically that existing cross-language variations in the structure of the future tense and the presence of grammatical gender affected human capital accumulation. Exploiting variations in the dominant languages among migrants from the same countries of origin, the study explores the impact of these traits on the educational attainment of second generation migrants in the US. The results suggest that college attendance among individuals with identical ancestry is (i) higher if the dominating language at home has a periphrastic future tense, and (ii) lower for women exposed predominantly to sex-based grammatical gender.

GLO Discussion Papers are research and policy papers of the GLO Network which are widely circulated to encourage discussion. Provided in cooperation with EconStor, a service of the ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, GLO Discussion Papers are among others listed in RePEc (see IDEAS,  EconPapers)Complete list of all GLO DPs – downloadable for free.

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Statistical Discrimination & Asymmetric Employer Learning in the US

A new GLO Discussion Paper finds for the US that firms statistically discriminate workers based on race when employer learning is asymmetric.

The Global Labor Organization (GLO) is an independent, non-partisan and non-governmental organization that functions as an international network and virtual platform to stimulate global research, debate and collaboration.

GLO Discussion Paper No. 569, 2020

Testing for Asymmetric Employer Learning and Statistical DiscriminationDownload PDF
by
Ge, Suqin & Moro, Andrea & Zhu, Beibei

GLO Fellow Suqin Ge

Author Abstract: We test if firms statistically discriminate workers based on race when employer learning is asymmetric. Using data from the NLSY79, we find evidence of asymmetric employer learning. In addition, employers statistically discriminate against non-college educated black workers at time of hiring. We also find that employers directly observe most of the productivity of college graduates at hiring and learn very little over time about these workers.

GLO Discussion Papers are research and policy papers of the GLO Network which are widely circulated to encourage discussion. Provided in cooperation with EconStor, a service of the ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, GLO Discussion Papers are among others listed in RePEc (see IDEAS,  EconPapers)Complete list of all GLO DPs – downloadable for free.

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Household Size, Composition, and Poverty Dynamics in Russia

A new GLO Discussion Paper for Russia suggests that the measured equivalence scale elasticity is sensitive to household demographic composition. Adjustments result in lower estimates of poverty lines.

The Global Labor Organization (GLO) is an independent, non-partisan and non-governmental organization that functions as an international network and virtual platform to stimulate global research, debate and collaboration.

GLO Discussion Paper No. 568, 2020

The Important Role of Equivalence Scales: Household Size, Composition, and Poverty Dynamics in the Russian FederationDownload PDF
by
Abanokova, Kseniya & Dang, Hai-Anh H. & Lokshin, Michael M.

GLO Fellow Hai-Anh Dang

Author Abstract: Hardly any literature exists on the relationship between equivalence scales and poverty dynamics for transitional countries. We offer a new study on the impacts of equivalence scale adjustments on poverty dynamics in the Russian Federation, using equivalence scales constructed from subjective wealth and more than 20 waves of household panel survey data from the Russia Longitudinal Monitoring Survey. The analysis suggests that the equivalence scale elasticity is sensitive to household demographic composition. The adjustments for the equivalence of scales result in lower estimates of poverty lines. We decompose poverty into chronic and transient components and find that chronic poverty is positively related to the adult scale parameter. However, chronic poverty is less sensitive to the child scale factor compared with the adult scale factor. Interestingly, the direction of income mobility might change depending on the specific scale parameters that are employed. The results are robust to different measures of chronic poverty, income expectations, reference groups, functional forms, and various other specifications.

GLO Discussion Papers are research and policy papers of the GLO Network which are widely circulated to encourage discussion. Provided in cooperation with EconStor, a service of the ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, GLO Discussion Papers are among others listed in RePEc (see IDEAS,  EconPapers)Complete list of all GLO DPs – downloadable for free.

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Interview with the Greek Policy Advisor and GLO Fellow Panos Tsakloglou on the Greek Story in the COVID-19 Crisis.

Greece has performed very well in the management of the COVID-19 crisis but faces now a huge economic downturn. What are the elements of success, the challenges ahead and the role of scientific experts? Some insights from an interview with top policy advisor Panos Tsakloglou.

Some core messages of the interview:

  • Greece has done well since the government followed the advice of epidemiologists and the population respected the requested rules.
  • Non-essential traveling to the Greek islands was forbidden and hence very few cases of COVID-19 infections were reported.
  • Trust in was a crucial factor of success.
  • There were few infections recorded in refugee camps and settlements : They were dealt with swiftly and the authorities tried to create a sanitary zone.
  • Greece will experience the strongest negative economic impact from the pandemic among all EU countries since it relies excessively on activities that particular sensitive in the current crisis.
  • The country soon expects expert proposals for a new growth plan of the economy and the reforms necessary for its implementation.
  • Greece lacks behind in Europe in the development of the digital economy, but has made progress in the crisis.
  • The Greek lesson for the government: (i) listening to the experts, (ii) taking swift and early action, and (iii) convincing the population about the necessity of the actions taken.
  • The Greek government is prepared to listen to expert opinion.

GLO Fellow Panos Tsakloglou is Professor at the Athens University of Economics and Business. He is a Research Fellow of IZA and the Hellenic Observatory of LSE. During the period 2012-2014 he was Chairman of the Greek Government’s Council of Economic Advisers.

Middle photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

Interview

GLO: How has Greece outperformed most of Europe in the handling of the coronavirus pandemic?

Panos Tsakloglou: It seems that this can be attributed to the combination of two factors. First, the government followed the advice of medical experts (epidemiologists) and imposed lockdown and social distancing measures quite early. Second, unlike the stereotype image of unruly Mediterraneans, the population respected the rules. As a result, in the middle of June Greece has just 18 deaths due to COVID-19 per million of population.

GLO: Are there natural advantages, like the many islands Greece has?

Panos Tsakloglou: Not really. Apart from the largest of these islands, most of them do not have the appropriate hospital facilities to deal with serious COVID-19 cases. However, in the framework of lockdown measures, non-essential traveling to the islands was forbidden and, therefore, very few cases of COVID-19 infections were reported.

GLO: Trust in the activities of the government is often seen as a crucial factor. What role did this play?

Panos Tsakloglou: This was a crucial factor, indeed. Several opinion polls taken since the outbreak of the pandemic record levels of trust to the government handling of the crisis that we have not seen in Greece for a very long period of time.

GLO: Migrants and refugee camps are sensitive elements of the challenge in many countries. What is the Greek strategy?

Panos Tsakloglou: With one major exception that, fortunately, did not result to loss of life, there were few infections recorded in refugee camps and settlements and they were dealt with swiftly. Early on, the authorities tried to create a sanitary zone to such facilities since an outbreak there could have had devastating consequences. On the contrary, the rate of infections of other vulnerable groups, such as Roma, was higher than the population average, although nowhere near the rates recorded in other European countries.

GLO: What role can Europe play for the Greek recovery?

Panos Tsakloglou: The timing of the pandemic was quite unfortunate for Greece, since it happened just when the economy was taking off after years of recession. Although so far Greece has handled the pandemic successfully, the OECD, the IMF and the European Commission predict that this year Greece will experience the strongest impact from the pandemic among all EU countries, since it relies excessively on activities that are likely to be severely hit in the current crisis (such as tourism and shipping) and, further, due to the high public debt the fiscal space of the country is limited. The inclusion of Greece in the Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme of the ECB allowed Greece to access international capital markets in favorable terms, while if the Recovery Fund proposal of the European Commission is accepted, Greece will be one of the largest beneficiaries with plenty of resources available for investments that can facilitate a speedy recovery in the coming years.

GLO: How does Greece prepare for the economic revival of the country?

Panos Tsakloglou: Even before the eruption of the pandemic, the government had asked a group of economists led by Nobel laureate Sir Christopher Pissaridis to make proposals for a new growth plan of the economy and the reforms necessary for its implementation. Naturally, after the pandemic and in anticipation of the inflow of resources available through the Recovery Fund, the work of this committee had to be adjusted accordingly. Their proposals are expected in the coming weeks.

GLO: What role will the digital economy play for the future of Greece?

Panos Tsakloglou: According to the latest report of the European Commission only Bulgaria ranks below Greece in the EU in terms of digital skills of the population and progress in digital economy. However, during the pandemic there was rapid and substantial progress in several aspects of digital government – an area that Greece’s record is abysmal. The government has stated on many occasions that digital economy is among its priorities. If there is, indeed, a rapid digitization of the economy in the coming years we are likely to experience both an outburst of growth and an improvement in the citizens’ daily lives.

GLO: What can Europe learn from Greece?

Panos Tsakloglou: I think that Greece’s handling of the pandemic was one of the few nice surprises of the current crisis. Greece’s success was due to a combination of government’s (a) listening to the experts, (b) taking swift and early action, and, (c) convincing the population about the necessity of the actions taken. This is, probably, the lesson that Europe can learn from Greece.

GLO: Is the Greek government listening to scientists these days?

Panos Tsakloglou: The examples cited above about decisions on lockdown and social distancing measures based the advice of medical experts and the formation of the Pissaridis committee to draft a growth plan for the economy probably demonstrate that the Greek government is, indeed, prepared to listen to expert opinion. Nevertheless, we should not forget that in democracies decisions are taken by elected politician; not unelected experts.

*************
With Panos Tsakloglou spoke Klaus F. Zimmermann, GLO President.

More from the GLO Coronavirus Cluster

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Turning Vietnam’s COVID-19 Success into Economic Recovery: A Job-Focused Analysis of Individual Assessments on Their Finance and the Economy

A new GLO Discussion Paper for the Vietnam finds that having a job is strongly and positively associated with better finance and more income and savings, as well as more optimism about the resilience of the economy in the COVID-19 crisis.

The Global Labor Organization (GLO) is an independent, non-partisan and non-governmental organization that functions as an international network and virtual platform to stimulate global research, debate and collaboration.

GLO Discussion Paper No. 566, 2020

Turning Vietnam’s COVID-19 Success into Economic Recovery: A Job-Focused Analysis of Individual Assessments on Their Finance and the EconomyDownload PDF
by
Dang, Hai-Anh H. & Giang, Long T.

GLO Fellow Hai-Anh Dang

Author Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in income and employment loss in many countries around the world. Yet, hardly any formal study exists on household finance and future economic expectations in poorer countries. To fill in this gap, we implemented and analyzed a web-based rapid assessment survey immediately after the removal of lockdown measures in Vietnam, a lower-middle-income country that has received widespread recognition for its successful fight against the pandemic. We find that having a job is strongly and positively associated with better finance and more income and savings, as well as more optimism about the resilience of the economy. Further disaggregating employment into different types of jobs such as self-employment and jobs with permanent and short-term contracts, we find those with permanent job contracts to be more strongly associated with better assessments and fewer job worries. Individuals with good health and higher educational levels also have more positive evaluations for their current and future finance. These findings are relevant for post-outbreak economic policies, especially regarding the labor market in a developing country context.

More from the GLO Coronavirus Cluster

GLO Discussion Papers are research and policy papers of the GLO Network which are widely circulated to encourage discussion. Provided in cooperation with EconStor, a service of the ZBW – Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, GLO Discussion Papers are among others listed in RePEc (see IDEAS,  EconPapers)Complete list of all GLO DPs – downloadable for free.

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