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The paper examines the role of political leaders, public and private agents (governments, private agencies, NGOs), and followers (public, citizens, community) in the war on COVID-19. It argues that the role of agents and followers is often underestimated; that while the leaders’ contributions are important and necessary, they are not sufficient. The success or failure of leaders will depend as much on these actors as on their own competence, co

COVID-19, which is a highly infectious disease of zoonotic origin, serves as a serious reminder that human-nature interactions need to be based on sustainable development pathways. The recent surge in zoonotic infections in different parts of the world—among them, H1N1, Nipah virus, Zika virus, and Lyme disease—can be attributed to the intensification of human-animal contact through wildlife trade and livestock production. Reducing the rates

There are many metrics to measure the Modi foreign policy of the past year.

Myanmar is ill-equipped to handle growing COVID-19 caseload on its own — it requires external help.

Later this year, the national elections will be due. The elections may be postponed because of the COVID-19 scenario.

Regular communication with India and other host countries should be re-evaluated by Nepal, which is economically viable for the country in the long run, as it has to survive a major chunk of its economy on remittances.

If rich nations want to preserve the liberal order, they must invest in the institutions that can help poorer countries survive this crisis.

The multiple ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the lockdowns imposed by countries as a response, are being felt in sectors ranging from agriculture to healthcare. The global community must now hurdle massive obstacles to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To correctly assess the impact of the pandemic on global sustainability-driven concerns, it is important to understand not only the inter-linkages between the SDGs,

COVID-19 has once again exposed the widening rift between radical religious organisations, their parochial leaders — and the government.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, there has been a surge in cases of online child sexual abuse and exploitation (OCSAE) in many parts of the world. This brief discusses the cases of India and Australia. It examines their efforts to combat the increased incidence of OCSAE resulting from greater use of the internet as movement was restricted in response to the pandemic. The brief focuses on India and Australia as bo

The COVID-19 pandemic is taking an enormous toll on health systems across the world. A growing concern is that efforts to manage the pandemic are undermining care for serious non-Covid illnesses such as cancer. In the UK and US, for example, it is estimated that delays in cancer diagnosis and treatment due to COVID-19 will lead to excess cancer deaths in the range of tens of thousands within a year. In India, where health systems are weak, it is

This brief examines the education crisis that has affected close to 250 million children in India due to school closures implemented as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It underlines that the switch to remote learning has created a “regression in learning” that, while cutting across the entire socio-economic spectrum, has disproportionately affected the poor, and among them, the girls. This pandemic-induced education divide and learning l

Safeguarding people’s health has been the global priority amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In Bhutan, emerging lessons show how nutrition and other aspects of health are intricately related to the management of food security during the current crisis, and beyond. The country’s leaders have used moral suasion alongside policy measures to demonstrate that good nutrition need not be a luxury.

India's second COVID-19 wave was marked by a daily surge in incident cases and a high prevalence of severe forms of the novel coronavirus. COVID-19–related studies on Indian populations have focused on aspects like seroprevalence, estimating the peak of infections, and vaccine efficacy. However, other lifestyle factors, such as activity levels, are of significance and can broaden our understanding of COVID-19. Across the world, the pandemic lif

While the government wants early elections despite mixed reports about its handling of the COVID-19 crisis — the opposition wants the polls postponed.

The arrival of vaccines against Covid-19 gives hope in ending the pandemic that has claimed close to 2.84 million lives so far. However, inoculating millions of people all over the world would require the massive production of vaccines, followed by their equitable distribution. An impediment to production and distribution of vaccines is the intellectual property (IP) rights that their developers enjoy. India and South Africa have together propo

In different parts of the world, the federal system of government is facing some of its biggest trials yet, from the COVID-19 pandemic. Federalism—which believes in shared sovereignty and territoriality between multiple constituent units of governance—was anticipated to fail against a massive pandemic that needed swift, and presumably centralised, response. This paper examines federal India’s own experience in the past 18 months. The aim is

Beijing’s behavior, while unsurprising, is only likely to further antagonize its neighbors.

Care work, both paid and unpaid, is at the heart of most economies. The care sector comprises formal healthcare, childcare services, early childhood education, disability and long-term care, and eldercare. Two-thirds of care workers globally are women, and women and girls perform more than three-quarters of all unpaid care work. The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the vulnerability of care workers and deepened the gender gap. This paper a

Germany’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic has earned it almost all-round approval. This special report argues that there is indeed much that German policy has gotten right. But it is also important to keep an eye on the limitations and failings, for which Germany – and other countries that seek to emulate it – might end up paying a very dear price. In contrast, a timely correction of some aspects of German policy could help pre-empt bo

This brief collects and analyses current evidence in India regarding the impact of COVID-19 on the health and well-being of children (5-9 years) and adolescents (10-19). Using the ‘snowball retrieval’ strategy, the authors identified peer-reviewed studies, reports and government articles published between January 2020 and February 2021 that were relevant to the research question. The brief finds that not only are children and adolescent

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is seeking to promote a political model with centralisation and one-party rule at the core to achieve economic growth and stability. This brief assesses the extent to which the CCP’s policymaking mechanisms and internal politics have influenced China’s strategy to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Four months since the outbreak of COVID-19, some vital unknowns about the pandemic remain, including IFR (Infection Fatality Rate) and immunity from reinfection. A clearer understanding of the risks posed by COVID-19, informed by science and data in the Indian context, will help the country in mustering an effective strategy to hurdle the crisis. The government must undertake mass antibody testing and scale up healthcare capacity across the count

High-density urban agglomerations may be sustainable in terms of the economies of scale their populations provide. Yet, as proven by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, these same urban spaces are nearly defenceless in times of unprecedented disease outbreaks. A pandemic poses many risks to the millions who live in dense megacities, whether in wealthy countries or developing ones. The sheer density of the population of these cities provides an ideal e

चीन में इससे पहले भी विरोध-प्रदर्शन हुए हैं, जिन्हें ताकत के जोर से दबाया जाता रहा है. संभावना है कि इस बार भी चीनी कम्युनिस्ट पार्टी की मशीनरी मौजूदा असंतोष को पूरी क्रूरता

लहान मुले कोविड-19 च्या गुंतागुंतांना कमी संवेदनाक्षम असल्याने या वयोगटातील लसीकरणामुळे काही अडचणी निर्माण होतात.

जिसे अब दुनिया ने ‘लॉकडाउन’ या तालाबंदी का नाम दिया है. तो ऐसे में किसी नए दशक की इससे बुरी और निराशाजनक शुरुआत क्या हो सकती है, जिसे चीन के लगातार प्रभाव बढ़ाते अनैतिक नेतृत

Bangladesh was one of the few countries in the world to sustain a positive economic growth rate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, however, it is experiencing symptoms that could stall such impressive record: rising divergences in the government’s fiscal balance; the precarious Balance of Payments situation; rapidly declining foreign exchange reserves; demand-supply gaps in the energy markets; and inflationary tendencies. The exogenous shocks

From re-nationalisation of manufacturing to more restricted flow of people, prepare for a new world

Modi’s re-election assures India’s allies that Delhi will play a leading role in shaping the new world order

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic hastened the widespread adoption of digitaltechnologies across the globe. The pace of digitalisation—from the micro levels ofeducation and e-commerce to the macro levels of supply chains and productionnetworks—has galvanised governments to advance digital regulations. Thetightrope walk of creating policies that enable digital innovation and ensureregulations are in the larger public interest have led to inte

Is India stepping into global and regional leadership mode?

The geographical and socioeconomic characteristics of small island developing states (SIDS) expose them to unique challenges. Climate change, in particular, poses a severe threat to SIDS, with rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and changing precipitation patterns negatively affecting their ecosystems, economies, and communities. This brief assesses the challenges faced by SIDS in accessing traditional climate financing and analyses the effec

The COVID-19 outbreak poses immense challenges to Africa’s resilience. The pandemic’s economic fallout, caused by disruptions in global and regional value chains and a slump in commodity prices, can derail the progress which the continent has recorded in recent years. Despite the bleak forecasts, however, African countries have managed to mount a concerted response to the pandemic. This paper examines the extent of the economic and health imp