ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic and related social and economic emergencies induced massive public spending and increased global debt. Economic recovery is now an opportunity to rebuild natural capital alongside financial, physical, social and human capital, for long-term societal benefit. Yet, current decision-making is dominated by economic imperatives and information systems that do not consider society's dependence on natural capital and the ecosystem services it provides. New international standards for natural capital accounting (NCA) are now available to integrate environmental information into government decision-making. By revealing the effects of policies that influence natural capital, NCA supports identification, implementation and monitoring of Green Recovery pathways, including where environment and economy are most positively interlinked.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Ecosystem , Humans , Conservation of Natural Resources , COVID-19/epidemiology , PandemicsABSTRACT
This article explores the question of devolution in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic's impact on English local government. Criticism of the government's handling of the crisis is widespread and tends to focus on the highly centralised nature of the British state. Here, we attribute the challenges faced by regional and local government in responding to the pandemic primarily to the asymmetric nature of power relations that characterise financial planning and control mechanisms, devised and overseen by the Treasury. We argue that the ongoing crisis underlines the need for a democratic form of devolution-including further fiscal powers for regional and local government-to support the economic recovery. In a context of increasing fiscal uncertainty, the Treasury should seek to unlock the existing powers of local leaders by reforming centralised budgetary constraints and taking accountability and monitoring mechanisms closer to citizens.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections/economics , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Interdisciplinary Research/trends , Models, Economic , Pandemics/economics , Pneumonia, Viral/economics , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Policy Making , COVID-19 , COVID-19 Vaccines , Commerce/economics , Commerce/statistics & numerical data , Coronavirus Infections/prevention & control , Global Warming/economics , Global Warming/prevention & control , Humans , Politics , Unemployment/statistics & numerical data , Viral Vaccines/supply & distributionABSTRACT
Ce rapport analyse les opportunités et les enjeux de l'utilisation de la technologie pour favoriser le partage d'information en cas de catastrophes. Le rapport est divisé en quatre sections qui se penchent sur l'utilisation de différentes technologies dans des étapes clés dans la chronologie de crise : alerte rapide, état de préparation, secours humanitaires et reconstruction, et développement à long terme. Le rapport fait également des distinctions au niveau du format des communications, c'est à dire savoir comment l'information est véhiculée (une personne vers plusieurs personnes, une à une, plusieurs vers plusieurs).
