A well-trained workforce is more likely to spur innovation at companies. Firms that provide even minimal training to employees are nearly 8 percentage points more likely to introduce a new product and implement a new process.

How wisely governments cope with current and long-term economic challenges caused by Covid-19 will be an important defining factor for the prosperity of our and future generations.

Households and small businesses are being offered a dizzying array of financial assistance packages to survive Covid-19, but many lack the financial skills to judge if they are right for them.

The pandemic has created an unprecedented crisis for overseas workers and the remittances they send home. But with the right actions by governments, it could also be a chance for long-term change.

Governments and organizations, including multilateral development banks, are funding tens of billions of dollars in development projects and programs to help countries respond to Covid-19. The evaluation and monitoring process should not be bypassed.

Digital technology is taking a growing role in the world’s food supply, from farm to fork. The right policies would ensure that the benefits are shared.

The pandemic is changing consumer behavior and expectations in the Pacific, particularly when it comes to using digital tools for financial transactions.

New digitized financial services are coming to previously poorly connected areas in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. It should be inclusive and cost effective, and serve the interests of people at large.

Now is the time to take advantage of the clean air being experienced in many cities across Asia. We must not support a “quick and dirty” post-Covid-19 recovery plan that returns pollution to the region’s skies.