Building SOE Crisis Management and Resilience : Emerging Practices and Lessons Learned During the COVID-19 Crisis

This note is one of a series produced by the World Bank's Governance Global Practice to help client countries address the impact of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on their economies and governance structures. Addressed to central governments and the management of individual state-owned enterprises (SOEs), this note analyses the implications of the COVID-19 crisis for the public sector and provides guidance on how governments and SOEs can use this crisis to build or strengthen their crisis response systems. Suggested measures involve calibrating risks and introducing proper risk management systems, ensuring business continuity and resilience in emergency situations, as well as supporting the ability of public enterprises to bounce back in the post-crisis environment. This note draws on existing World Bank analysis of emerging global trends in governments' COVID-19 response measures as pertains to SOEs. It includes practical recommendations that can be considered for implementation by governments and by individual SOEs. In addition, the note lists examples of policy measures that can potentially be supported through the World Bank's budget support operations