Reviving tourism in the COVID era: bungs, tax cuts and no more tour buses
Tourism has taken an enormous hit during the pandemic. Simeon Djankov (LSE) looks at some of the ways governments are trying to revive the sector –...
Moving property sales online could give developing economies a boost
In some countries, COVID-19 has prompted property transactions to move online, and in these places the market has picked up as a result. It represents...
Measuring property rights institutions
In a world of limited public capacity, which rules and institutions that protect property rights have the largest impact on economic activity? This...
Five things the French and German recovery plans have in common (and what’s missing)
France and Germany have announced big recovery plans. Simeon Djankov looks at what they have in common – and what’s missing from both.
Firms in emerging markets fall to COVID-19
Young, small, and domestic market-oriented firms are more likely to fall into financial distress.
Reform chatter and democracy
It is often argued that democracy is the least imperfect form of government mainly because of the existence of a ‘self-correcting’ mechanism stemming...
Firms in Financial Distress
We use simple accounting measures to estimate the share of private manufacturing firms in financial distress under a hypothetical scenario of losing...
Reform Chatter and Democracy
We explore the dynamics of media chatter about economic reforms using text analysis from about a billion newspaper articles in 28 languages. We show...
The neighbourhood effect of reforms after crises
Countries reform when their neighbours have reformed too, especially in the aftermath of economic crises. This column examines business regulatory...
Less red tape, more local entrepreneurship and foreign direct investment: the path to recovery
More flexible business regulation encourages both the development of startups and the inflow of foreign investment, write Simeon Djankov, Dorina...
COVID-19 in Developing Economies
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was hoped that warm weather and younger populations would shield many developing countries from the...
Reversal of Fortune for Political Incumbents after Oil Shocks
This paper explores the effect of oil shocks on electoral outcomes. Using a new polling and election dataset for 207 elections across 50 democracies...
COVID-19: an opportunity to digitise property transactions
Online transactions bring speed and cost efficiency, fostering the expansion of the real estate market, write Marie Delion and Simeon Djankov.
Regulatory reforms: the silver lining after COVID-19
Fiscal crises spur regulatory reform, which, in turn, speed up economic recovery, write Simeon Djankov, Dorina Georgieva and Hibret Maemir.
How governments can ease the entry of ‘recovery entrepreneurs'
Crises bring creative destruction. It's time to help new companies and job opportunities emerge, write Simeon Djankov and Frederic Meunier.
Gendered Laws And Women In The Workforce
This paper offers for the first time a global picture of gender discrimination by the law as it affects women’s economic opportunity and charts the...