EURACTIV.com (18.05.2020) Temporary unemployment schemes operating across Europe could struggle to save the jobs of leisure and travel sector workers facing drawn-out or partial recoveries from the COVID-19 pandemic, even if they help industries that rebound quickly.

latinamerica.undp.org (May 2020) The growing crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic has dire implications for Latin American societies. As is often the case, the most vulnerable segments of society, especially those living in extreme poverty, are being hit the hardest. This article identifies strategies and specific responses designed to achieve three goals: (1) reduce epidemiological risks to save lives; (2) protect livelihoods; and (3) ensure human capital accumulation. Epidemiological externalities as well as humanitarian concerns demand universal social inclusion.

lawafrica.com (May 2020) The purpose of this paper is to examine current state interventions taken to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 using social protection in Uganda in comparison to what is happening in Kenya and South Africa. This paper will also briefly examine the impact of legal framework in supporting the right social protection in COVID-19 responses.

The New York Times (22.05.2020) More than a third of America’s Covid-19 deaths can be traced back to these facilities. Experts suggest several ways to make them safer.

Development Pathways (21.04.2020) As the COVID-19 pandemic rages like a wild inferno at a global scale, humanity is neck-deep in responding with every resource, instrument, policy and strategy that is at its disposal.

worldbank.org (14.05.2020) The economic downturn sparked by the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) is having a major impact on global labor and financial markets – which in turn will have significant effects on pension systems.  Crucially, policy responses will need to strike a balance between the immediate protection of vulnerable groups and ensuring that our pension systems remain able to deliver retirement income in the future as the global population ages. Here, we propose four important policy questions to be considered as governments grapple with this challenge:

ILO (13.05.2020) The pandemic has highlighted something that had been almost forgotten by policy makers across the world in the past few decades; the importance of expenditure in public health and social protection systems.

nationalgeographic.co.uk (20.05.2020)Spain has just taken the first step towards it. Many feel the UK needs it. So is UBI a Utopian ideal, or a necessary salvation?

oecd (20.05.2020) This policy brief discusses the measures countries have taken to support the livelihoods of those who cannot access unemployment benefits or short-term work schemes. It examines the raft of new programmes introduced across the OECD and beyond, including means-tested assistance, new cash transfer schemes, and direct support for those struggling to meet their expenses. It also discusses how to close social protection gaps beyond the crisis to ensure inclusive growth post-COVID-19.Supporting livelihoods during the COVID-19crisis: closing the gaps in safety nets

sbs.com.au (19.05.2020) Up to a million Spanish families could soon receive an ongoing monthly payment to help them through the coronavirus crisis as the country’s government looks set to approve a €3 billion ($A5 billion) basic income scheme. The program, targeting low or no income families, will likely remain beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, which is expected to push the unemployment rate to more than 20 per cent in the country of almost 47 million people, according to the International Monetary Fund.