Written by Marcin Grajewski,

© Oleksii Synelnykov / Shutterstock

The highly contagious new coronavirus, known as COVID-19, is spreading globally at a very rapid pace, having infected about 114 000 people and killed nearly 4 000 at the time of writing, according to the situation report from the World Health Organization (WHO). It has sparked fears of a global pandemic with unpredictable consequences, including significant potential economic damage. China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Japan, and now France, Germany and Spain, are the countries most affected by the virus. These and other governments are facing a very major challenge to stop the spread of the disease and ward off a deep economic crisis.

This note offers links to recent commentaries and reports from international think tanks on the coronavirus and related issues.

How Europe should manage the Coronavirus-induced crisis
Centre for European Policy Studies, March 2020

Uncharted territory: Italy’s response to the coronavirus
European Council on Foreign Relations, March 2020

How to fight the economic fallout from the Coronavirus
Chatham House, March 2020

Designing an effective US policy response to Coronavirus
Peterson Institute for International Economics, March 2020

To save the Italian economy from the Coronavirus, Rome prescribes a stimulus
Bruegel, March 2020

Ill will: Populism and the Coronavirus
European Council on Foreign Relations, March 2020

Economics in the time of COVID-19
Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry, March 2020

Coronavirus outbreak intensifies: Q&A with RAND experts
Rand Corporation, March 2020

China and Japan sharing weal and woe in the face of epidemic
China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, March 2020

ROK’s COVID-19 epidemic tendency and Sino-ROK cooperation
China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, March 2020
The Coronavirus outbreak could disrupt the U.S. drug supply
Council on Foreign Relations, March 2020

A Japan divided over COVID-19 control
East Asia Forum, March 2020

Will Covid-19 topple China’s one-party regime?
German Marshall Fund, March 2020

Coronavirus is already changing the world
Atlantic Council, March 2020

What should a fiscal response to a COVID-19 outbreak look like?
Brookings Institution, March 2020

Russia’s not ready for Coronavirus
Council on Foreign Relations, March 2020
Governments and businesses brace for Coronavirus impact
Atlantic Council, March 2020

The Coronavirus is exposing the limits of populism
Brookings Institution, March 2020

Africa confronts falling oil prices amid Coronavirus
Council on Foreign Relations, March 2020

Coronavirus and the oil market: The effects thus far and what to expect next
Atlantic Council, March 2020

The Coronavirus will reveal hidden vulnerabilities in complex global supply chains
Brookings Institution, March 2020

The impact of Coronavirus on Gulf economies
Atlantic Council, March 2020

If Italy gets sick, the whole world catches a cold
American Enterprise Institute, March 2020

COVID-19: Tips for a saner digital diet in these viral times
Heinrich Böll Stiftung, March 2020

The cruise that escaped COVID-19 outbreak
China Institute of International Studies, March 2020

The Coronavirus outbreak is the shape of things to come
Council on Foreign Relations, February 2020

China’s fight against COVID-19 epidemic: A decisive campaign
Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, February 2020

The Coronavirus and freedom of expression in China: Not so fast
Istituto Affari Internazionali, February 2020

What you need to know about the Coronavirus outbreak
Council on Foreign Relations, February 2020

As the Coronavirus spreads, can the EU afford to close its borders?
Bruegel, February 2020

China and the geopolitics of the Coronavirus
Clingendael, February 2020

How to save lives in a COVID-19 pandemic
Resolve to Save Lives, February 2020

Companies must move supply chains further from China
Bruegel, February 2020

Preparing for the Coronavirus and other epidemics in Africa
Brookings Institution, February 2020

Preparing for pandemics such as Coronavirus: Will we ever break the vicious cycle of panic and neglect?
Brookings Institution, February 2020

Epidemic tests China’s supply chain dominance
Bruegel, February 2020

China’s Coronavirus will not lead to recession but to stimulus and even more debt
Bruegel, February 2020


Read this briefing on ‘Coronavirus (COVID-19)‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.

Read all EPRS publications on the coronavirus outbreak