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A group of over 75 South African economists and analysts argues that current government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic are insufficient in scale. They propose a comprehensive set of measures including income transfers, payment holidays, expanded emergency loans, and increased health system funding to protect vulnerable populations and sustain businesses during the crisis.

The report identifies significant barriers to implementing just transition strategies in developing countries, including a lack of conceptual consensus, the misconception that the concept only applies to developed nations, and weak institutional capacity. It proposes a structured template for NDCs that includes labour market planning, stakeholder engagement, and the creation of inter-departmental coordinating committees. Through case studies of Latin American countries and a policy roundtable, the document emphasizes that no 'one size fits all' approach exists, particularly due to the prevalence of informal economies and varying levels of social protection in low- and middle-income economies.

This report synthesizes lessons from six country case studies to provide recommendations for designing 'Energy Safety Nets'—social assistance mechanisms intended to ensure the poorest populations can afford both the initial connection to and the ongoing consumption of modern energy services to meet SDG7 goals by 2030.

The report finds that kerosene subsidies in Nigeria failed poor women, who paid 2–6 times the official price and faced hardships during shortages. The 2016 subsidy removal further stressed household incomes, leading women in rural areas to rely more on inferior biomass fuels. The report recommends against reinstating kerosene subsidies, suggesting instead that funds be redirected toward social protection programs and the financing of clean-burning cookstoves.

The Ceres2030 project identifies a funding gap of USD 33 billion per year to achieve SDG 2 targets, with USD 14 billion coming from donors and USD 19 billion from recipient countries. The report emphasizes that most existing agricultural research ignores the needs of smallholders, who represent over 80% of the world's farms. Key recommendations include investing in extension services, climate-resilient crops, social protection, and supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the value chain. The project utilizes a complex general equilibrium model and machine-learning-assisted evidence synthesis to identify a portfolio of 14 policy instruments across three categories: empowering the excluded, on-farm interventions, and food on the move.

The report examines the high cost and regressive nature of India's energy consumption subsidies, which totaled INR 87,830 crore (USD 13.1 billion) in 2017. It highlights a critical knowledge gap, as the last comprehensive distributional analysis is based on 2011 census data. The document proposes several targeting mechanisms, including opt-out schemes, volumetric quotas, categorical targeting based on social or geographic criteria, and the use of proxy means testing via income and asset data. It specifically analyzes the Ujjwala scheme's success in connection targeting and the challenges of sustained LPG usage among the poor due to ongoing consumption costs.

The report assesses how India's LPG subsidy schemes, specifically PAHAL (DBTL) and Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), affect poor women. It finds that while PMUY has increased LPG access and reduced drudgery—saving women an average of one hour per day—significant inefficiencies remain. Many poor households are still left behind due to affordability and distribution barriers, while a large share of consumption subsidies benefit wealthier households. The report recommends improving targeting, reviewing the PMUY loan system to ensure affordability for the poorest, and adopting a more holistic clean cooking strategy.

The YEG pilot provided approximately $1,200 in grants and smartphones to 1,035 youth in Nairobi's Mathare slum, testing two payment cadences: lump sums and monthly payments. Interim results show that transferring funds via mobile money is highly feasible and that recipients significantly invest in self-employment and education. While pre-installed business apps saw low usage, general internet access via smartphones improved market reach. Gender differences emerged, with men investing more in productive assets and women prioritizing education and informal savings groups. Lump-sum recipients reported higher investment rates and savings compared to those receiving monthly payments.

The report outlines key priorities for building climate resilience in the Asia-Pacific, emphasizing a systems approach to adaptation, the necessity of intersectional and inclusive programming, and the scaling of innovative blended finance. It advocates for shifting from reactive disaster response to proactive preparedness through early warning systems and nature-based solutions, while ensuring local communities are central to decision-making.

The report identifies five key intervention areas for building resilience: nature-based solutions, empowering marginalized groups, information and technology, inclusive financial services, and low-cost infrastructure. It argues that effective resilience programming must be systemic by design, utilize layered and linked interventions, create agile networks, promote equity and inclusion, and prioritize iterative learning and scaling. Evidence from GRP's USAID and Z Zurich Foundation challenges, as well as 42 partner programs, demonstrates that these approaches can protect development gains and improve well-being in the face of climate and economic shocks.

The document reports on a 2019 meeting in Dakar where academics, policymakers, and activists critiqued the impact of neoclassical economics and neoliberalism on Africa. Key discussions focused on the failures of Structural Adjustment Programs, the 'myth' of Africa Rising, and the exclusion of gender and care work from economic metrics like GDP. The participants proposed heterodox alternatives, including the Social and Solidarity Economy, food sovereignty, and feminist economics, while outlining a strategic roadmap for building an epistemic community to promote intellectual sovereignty and inclusive development across the continent.

The author argues that EU free trade agreements (FTAs) provide a mixed record of worker protection. While TSD chapters reinforce fundamental International Labour Organization (ILO) standards, they lack binding enforcement sanctions and neglect broader employment laws. The EU's ability to strengthen these protections is constrained by a legal division of competences between the EU and its member states, which limits the EU's solo authority to regulate social protection levels. The author suggests that 'regulatory cooperation' mechanisms could be a viable path to improve oversight and prevent a 'race to the bottom' in social standards.

The paper examines how social protection instruments—specifically cash transfers and public works programs—can be leveraged to build climate resilience. It identifies a substantial overlap between social protection and climate adaptation, noting that both target the most vulnerable. The authors propose three strategic shifts: enhancing the effectiveness of existing systems, integrating climate risk management (such as forecast-based early action), and layering social protection with other risk management tools like insurance. The document highlights that while social protection strongly supports absorptive and adaptive resilience, more work is needed to achieve transformative resilience.

The report identifies critical gender disparities in Ethiopia that affect climate vulnerability and adaptive capacity, specifically regarding roles in agriculture, access to natural resources, and participation in decision-making. It proposes 13 overarching recommendations to integrate gender considerations into the NAP-ETH, ranging from addressing social norms and improving access to information to institutionalizing gender-responsive resource allocation and monitoring systems.

The document analyzes the causes of financial distress in India's coal power sector, noting that approximately 18 per cent of installed capacity is 'stressed'. It identifies current drivers such as coal shortages and the financial instability of energy distribution companies (DISCOMs), while predicting future pressures from water scarcity, air pollution regulations, and the increasing cost-competitiveness of renewables. The author argues that government subsidies and preferential loans artificially mask these market signals. To prevent the burden of asset stranding from falling on the workforce, the brief suggests implementing complementary policies including general employment schemes, targeted social protection, and specific financing mechanisms.

The document argues that for climate transitions to be successful and socially acceptable, they must be both fast and fair. It emphasizes that Just Transition should be integrated into NDCs and national planning through participatory social dialogue and multi-scalar action. The brief highlights the importance of the Silesia Declaration and the role of the ILO in providing frameworks for decent work. It specifically identifies the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region as requiring greater support due to high fossil fuel dependence. Key recommendations include pre-emptive planning, skills development, and the use of targeted social protection tools like pension guarantees and retraining. The author calls for more empirical research, including quantitative evidence of net job gains, to inform decision-makers.

The dissertation examines the friction between the sedentary, national design of the Norwegian welfare state and the increasing prevalence of transnational living. Through interviews with 39 bureaucrats, the author finds that while transnationalism is viewed as a 'new norm' and approached with general inclusivity, there is significant institutional uncertainty and a lack of a coherent national policy. The study highlights how bureaucrats use a mix of formal and informal categories to manage complexity and how the system adapts through a combination of individual bureaucratic entrepreneurship and top-down restructuring that seeks to mainstream transnational work into national structures.

The COP 24 Climate Resilience roundtable emphasized the urgent need to scale up investments in adaptation and resilience, particularly for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The document outlines a roadmap of priority actions from 2020 to 2050, advocating for people-centered, nature-based solutions and the development of shared resilience metrics to attract private sector capital. Key commitments include the LDC Initiative for Effective Adaptation and Resilience (LIFE-AR) and various financial pledges from the Nordic Development Fund and Bank of America.

The document analyzes the financial and social implications of Morocco's butane gas subsidies, which cost approximately USD 967 million in 2017. It proposes a 'swap' strategy to transition from fossil fuel subsidies to investments in solar energy to mitigate the impact on low-income households and small farmers while meeting Paris Agreement goals.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) argues that South Africa faces a structural unemployment crisis, with approximately 9.6 million unemployed as of June 2018 and a severe lack of social protection for adults. To address this, the IEJ proposes either a universal employment guarantee scheme (EGS) modeled after India's NREGA, guaranteeing 100 days of work per year, or a workseekers grant providing a flat monthly amount (suggested at R1000 for six months a year). Both options are estimated to cost between R30-36 billion per annum. The IEJ suggests financing these schemes through a R15 billion annual contribution from the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) surplus, supplemented by solidarity taxes such as a wealth tax and restructured corporate income tax.