The Unassuming Economist

From C40 cities:

“With nearly 16 million green jobs worldwide, mega-cities are key to driving inclusive growth and breaking with past economic inequalities. This demands people-centred policies at all levels, open dialogue with workers and unions, investment in social protections, and funding for a locally-led just transition.

Inequality is rising fastest in cities and mayors are taking action—delivering jobs, closing skills gaps, and cutting emissions through local Green New Deal projects. Yet, more investment is essential to accelerate progress. 

At U20 and COP29, mayors are urging national governments to boost urban climate finance, dedicate at least 40% of climate funds to local projects supporting low-income communities, workers, and vulnerable groups, and deepen collaboration with subnational leaders on policy design and implementation through initiatives like CHAMP.

C40 Cities’ resources show how cities can partner with governments, unions, businesses, youth, and communities to create good, green jobs for all.”

From andina:

“The President of the Republic Dina Boluarte on Thursday reaffirmed Peru’s commitment to fostering sustainable, inclusive, and robust economic growth during the Women’s Empowerment Forum held as part of APEC Peru 2024 currently underway in Lima.

Mrs. Boluarte emphasized that, with women making up half of the population in the region, empowering and including them is vital for driving economic growth.

Likewise, the top official highlighted the importance of engaging in ongoing dialogue with the private sector to identify more and better opportunities for women’s economic empowerment.

The president noted that, under Peru’s leadership of APEC this year, significant progress has been made toward building consensus on a comprehensive agenda focused on empowering vulnerable sectors, particularly women.

The Head of State underscored that these agreements will translate into “tangible actions that the member economies will implement starting next year.”

“Today, we renew our commitment to solid, secure, sustainable, and inclusive growth, placing citizens —especially those who have yet to reach their full potential— at the heart of our efforts,” she stated.”

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From a paper by Adnan Mazarei and Prakash Loungani:

“Coverage. This paper assesses the IMF’s engagement with countries in the Middle East and
Central Asian Department (MCD) from February 2020 to April 2021, drawing on the experience of
Kyrgyz Republic, Morocco, Tunisia, and Uzbekistan. The paper also briefly describes MCD’s policy
advice over the course of the pandemic and the department’s strategy for helping the region.

Appropriate pivot in surveillance. While staff’s initial worries about the region were centered
around the sharp spike in global risk aversion—portfolio flows to the region declined by nearly
$2 billion in February–March—they quickly pivoted to healthcare and humanitarian
considerations. The April 2020 Regional Economic Outlook (REO) emphasized the immediate
priority of containing the spread of the virus and advocated fiscal easing to accommodate
necessary spending.

Rapid and effective financing. By June 2020, 15 countries in the region had received
emergency or upper credit tranche (UCT) financing from the Fund, and the Fund’s financing
exposure to the region increased by more than 65 percent in 2020. Our case studies of
Kyrgyz Republic, Tunisia, and Uzbekistan paint a positive picture overall of the value to countries
of the rapid provision of Fund emergency financing (EF). The first two received the maximum
permitted under Fund access limits despite some concerns about policies.”

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From the World Bank:

“The report outlines an agenda to strengthen information and communication technology(ICT) services in Rwanda, where network coverage has improved but broadband uptake remains low. Rwanda needs to boost digital service use among consumers and the private sector by increasing access to affordable smart devices, expanding digital skills initiatives, and improving broadband quality and affordability through network upgrades, densification, and stricter competition enforcement. Key regulatory measures include a reference interconnection over (RIO), better spectrum management for next-gen technologies like 5G, and infrastructure sharing to lower service costs. While recent laws on personal data protection and cybersecurity have created a solid regulatory foundation, their implementation is still in progress. To achieve global standards, Rwanda must enhance regulations related to nonpersonal data portability and net neutrality, as current rules restrict cross-border data flows vitalfor digital market integration and e-commerce. This effort should be supported by regional andglobal collaboration on regulatory harmonization. Further public investment is needed to develop foundational digital public infrastructure, such as identifcation, trusted data sharing, and digital payments systems, to scale digital services safely and affordably. Additionally, improvements in the enabling framework and skills development are crucial for wider adoption of technologies like artificial intelligence (AI).”

From UNDP:

“From September 9th to 13th, 2024, Namibia proudly hosted the 3rd Annual African Union Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (AU MSME) Forum in Windhoek, under the theme, “Fostering Financial Empowerment and Educational Innovation for African Startups and MSMEs.” This landmark event brought together over 300 entrepreneurs, policymakers, investors, and thought leaders from 54 African countries and marked a significant step forward in advancing Africa’s MSME sector.

The forum served as a vital platform for addressing key challenges facing MSMEs, including access to finance, market opportunities, and capacity-building. With a focus on fostering sustainable inclusive growth and development, participants explored solutions to the pressing financial and structural barriers that limit the growth of MSMEs.

The 20th Ordinary Session of the African Union Conference of Ministers of Industry (CAMI 20) urged member states to create a supportive environment for MSMEs. In response, the AU MSME Development Strategy & Action Plan was launched, aiming to foster sustainable economies, encourage entrepreneurship, industrial development, and enhance regional trade. The AU MSME Forum, which began in Cairo in 2022 and followed in Addis Ababa in 2023, serves as a key platform for knowledge-sharing and collaboration across Africa.”

Continue reading here.