City Leadership During COVID-19, Water Allocation Issues Along the Nile, and More

August 7, 2020

America’s unemployment insurance system contains a program called Extended Benefits which lengthens benefits for 6-20 additional weeks based on certain economic indicators. The COVID-19 economic crisis triggered the program, but there is a risk that it could turn off long before the labor market has recovered. Lauren Bauer, Wendy Edelberg, and Jana Parsons explain how policymakers can ensure that the program provides continued support to those in need.

“The COVID-19 crisis revealed to the world that local leadership matters on the frontlines.” Anthony Pipa and Max Bouchet highlight some of the ways that cities are engaging with one another and the international community to address key issues during the pandemic.

Tensions among Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile River have escalated recently. John Mukum Mbaku discusses the long history of conflict, the lack of a legal framework for water allocation, and issues that must be ironed out to reach an agreement on management of the Nile.

A note on the Brookings response to COVID-19:

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The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars.

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