A European Think Tank’s Experience with the Global Pandemic : The Case of Bruegel

The global pandemic, which became known to the world in late January 2020, has been a defining feature not only of this decade but probably of this century. In fact, not only has the pandemic taken 6.5 million lives so far globally but it has also brought havoc to many economies. The impact of the pandemic can be explained by many factors, whether cultural or societal but also through policymakers’ responses, both in the sanitary and economic spaces, among others. Responses have been undertaken by government officials and may have been influenced by experts in different fields, some of whom are affiliated with global think tanks. In fact, in a situation of emergency like the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), think tanks were generally best placed to offer policy-oriented recommendations faster than others, including research institutes and universities. Think tanks have acquired much more visibility among policymakers and the general public because of the COVID-19 outbreak.In this article, I will first review the COVID-19 outbreak in Europe and how a particular nonpartisan economic think tank, Bruegel, with a European mandate and ambition has a say in global economic issues. Bruegel has been instrumental in the design of COVID-19-related policies at not only the European and national levels but also at the global level for initiatives led by the Group of Twenty (G20) and the Group of Seven (G7) as well as other multilateral organizations. The example of Bruegel could shore up support for multi-country, nonpartisan think tanks so that they can better evaluate the environment in which our world – or specific regions or countries – operates; they can also find solutions to problems identified. The second section reviews developments in the global pandemic, with specific focus on Europe. The third section describes Bruegel’s role in evaluating and offering coherent policy responses to the pandemic. Finally, the last section draws some conclusions – based on Bruegel’s experience – for Asia in particular, as well as for the rest of the world