Written by Marcin Grajewski,

Concept of COVID-19 cornoavirus second wave infection following first wave and flattening of the curve illustrated by graph and virus symbols drawn on asphalt. Concept of new cases after easing of coronavirus restrictions.
© ronniechua / Adobe Stock

As the United States has been choosing its President, an explosion of cases in a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic has forced many governments in Europe to reintroduce strict confinement measures, including new lockdowns, curfews, bans on meetings and the closure of many businesses, notably in the hospitality and tourism sectors. The moves are meant to act as a firebreak on the exponential growth in Covid-19 infections and prevent health sectors in many countries from becoming overloaded. Whatever happens next, economies will contract this year in the great majority of countries around the world, even if in varying degrees, with significant social and political implications.

This note offers links to recent commentaries, studies and reports from major international think tanks on pandemic related issues. Earlier think tank studies on the issue can be found in the ‘What Think Tanks are Thinking’ of 23 October.

Preserving development cooperation during Covid-19 times
Friends of Europe, October 2020

Pandemic is a wake-up call for mental healthcare reform in Europe
Friends of Europe, October 2020

The pandemic and the economic crisis: What lies ahead for the Western model?
Friends of Europe, November 2020

The challenge for Spain to use the EU’s pandemic recovery fund wisely
Centre international de formation européenne, November 2020

Crise du covid et lutte contre le changement climatique
Centre international de formation européenne, November 2020

Tracking the mounting challenges among those who have lost their jobs
Brookings Institution, November 2020

As the pandemic rages on, it’s time for NATO to step up
German Marshall Fund, November 2020

As Covid-19 cases surge, the country’s economic recovery is losing steam
Brookings Institution, October 2020

Will Americans trust a Covid-19 vaccine? Not if politicians tell them to
Brookings Institution, October 2020

What Covid-19 has cost the climate
Brookings Institution, October 2020

Can public education return to normal after the Covid-19 pandemic?
Brookings Institution, October 2020

NATO’s response to Covid-19: Lessons for resilience and readiness
Brookings Institution, October 2020

Fighting Covid misinformation
German Marshall Fund, October 2020

European Union recovery funds: Strings attached, but not tied up in knots
Bruegel, October 2020

The pandemic will structurally change the global economy more than we think
Bruegel, October 2020

What role for the European Semester in the recovery plan?
Bruegel, October 2020

Crise du Covid et lutte contre le changement climatique
Centre international de formation européenne, October 2020

Brexit and Covid-19 are a toxic mix
Centre for European Reform, October 2020

Will the Coronavirus pandemic deliver a coup de grâce to Schengen?
Centre for European Reform, October 2020

War and Covid-19 in Yemen
Istituto Affari Internazionali, October 2020

Schengen under pressure: Differentiation or disintegration?
Istituto Affari Internazionali, October 2020

Governments take steps to save tourism from Covid-19
Peterson Institute for International Economics, October 2020

Southern Europe will regret not taking EU loans now
Peterson Institute for International Economics, October 2020

Europa krisenfest machen: Europäische Mindeststandards für die nationale Grundsicherung
Bertelsmann Stiftung, September 2020

The Corona crisis and the stability of the European banking sector: A repeat of the Great Financial Crisis?
Bertelsmann Stiftung, September 2020

After the pandemic: Global overheating to take centre stage at T20 and G20
Istituto per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale, November 2020

Crisis presidency: How Portuguese leadership can guide the EU into the post-Covid era
European Council on Foreign Relations, October 2020

The world is woefully unprepared for climate-driven natural disasters
Council on Foreign Relations, October 2020

Inconfinables ? Les sans-abri face au coronavirus
Fondation Jean Jaurès, October 2020

High hopes, low expectations: Brussels’ perspective on the future of Europe after Covid-19
European Policy Centre, October 2020

The European Parliament’s involvement in the EU response to the corona pandemic
Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, October 2020

Covid: Faute d’avoir mis à profit les six derniers mois, l’État sacrifie nos libertés
Institut Thomas More, October 2020

Coronavirus tracking apps: Normalizing surveillance during states of emergency
Carnegie Europe, October 2020

Covid-19: Une bataille stratégique entre la Chine et les États-Unis en Amérique latine
Institut des relations internationales et stratégiques, October 2020

Upholding the World Health Organization
Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik, October 2020

The re-shaping of the political discourse in times of crises
Fondation Européenne d’Etudes Progressistes, October 2020

The Covid crisis, an opportunity for a ‘new multilateralism’?
Confrontations Europe, October 2020

Covid-19 and the legal impact on the shipping industry and the case of Cyprus
Cyprus Centre for European and International Affairs, October 2020

L’Europe, le monde et la crise du Covid-19
Terra Nova, October 2020

Global trade today: Five basic facts about global trade
European Centre for International Political Economy, October 2020

Corona politics: The cost of mismanaging pandemics
Kiel Institute for the World Economy, September 2020

28 semaines plus tard: Y aura-t-il un monde d’après?
Fondation pour la recherche stratégique, September 2020

Covid-19 pandemic: Insights from RAND
Rand Corporation, September 2020

The Covid-19 gender gap: How women’s experience and expertise will drive economic recovery
Chatham House, September 2020

Read this briefing on ‘Coronavirus: Europe confronts the second wave‘ in the Think Tank pages of the European Parliament.