Udaya Raj Adhikari's Blog

1. Introduction “A public service is a service benefiting the public that is provided for by the government because it is underprovided by the market . The public benefits from outputs and outcomes of the given service, not merely inputs. For instance, buildings, textbooks, teachers, assurance of pedagogical training and quality instruction, are all inputs for delivery of education service, but the public service is to yield an output of students with skills” (World Bank, 2014). So public service is a mechanism of government to provide its services to the people . Good governance is a process of executing a coherent governing plan for the nation based on the interests and priorities of the people . Its purports are to create a society based on the principles of inclusiveness, liberty, equality and cooperation . Those who are in the office, especially the elected ones, must represent the concerns, values and needs of the people and empower them through the realization of their bas...

1. Introduction: Growth Shock A raging pandemic unleashed by a highly contagious COVID-19 virus has triggered unprecedented restrictions not only on the movement of people but also on a range of economic activities, and the declaration of national emergencies in the worldwide. Growing demand for urgent healthcare and rising death tolls are straining national healthcare systems. The pandemic is disrupting global supply chains and international trade.   With nearly 100 countries closing national borders during the past month, the movement of people and tourism flows have come to a screeching halt. Millions of workers in these countries are facing the bleak prospect of losing their jobs. Governments are considering and rolling out large stimulus packages to avert a sharp downturn of their economies which could potentially plunge the global economy into a deep recession. In the worst-case scenario, the world economy could contract by 0.9 percent in 2020 (Figure 1). The coronavirus ...