Contributor(s): Dr Simeon Djankov, Anne-Laure Kiechel, Professor Ugo Panizza, Dr Jeromin Zettelmeyer | While some countries are still in the midst of the COVID-19 health crisis, others are starting on their way to economic recovery. Recovery after such a tremendous shock will be painful and expensive. There is still enormous uncertainty both on the health front, as well as on the economic front. Policies in both directions require significant new budget allocations. Simeon Djankov (@SimeonDjankov) is Co-Director for Policy and Research Fellow at the Financial Markets Group, LSE. He was deputy prime minister and minister of finance of Bulgaria from 2009 to 2013. Prior to his cabinet appointment, Djankov was Chief Economist of the finance and private sector vice presidency of the World Bank. Anne-Laure Kiechel (@alkiechel) totals more than 20 years of experience in debt/capital markets and Sovereign Advisory, at both government and SOE level. In 2019, she founded Global Sovereign Advisory (“GSA”). In 2009, she joined Rothschild in Paris, working in the Financial Advisory group. She became Partner in 2014 and initiated Rothschild Sovereign Advisory, a practice she co-created and developed before being appointed Global Head. She started her career at Lehman Brothers in 1999, working in several departments in New York, London, and Paris. She headed Lehman Brothers Debts Capital Markets practices for France and Benelux and co-headed Lehman’s Global Finance practice.  Ugo Panizza (@upanizza) is Professor of Economics and Pictet Chair in Finance and Development at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. He is also the Director of the International Center for Monetary and Banking Studies (ICMB), Editor in Chief of International Development Policy and Deputy Director of the Center for Finance and Development. He is a Vice President and Fellow of CEPR, and Fellow of the Fondazione Einaudi. Before joining the Graduate Institute, he was Chief of the Debt and Finance Analysis Unit at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and a Senior Economist at the Inter-American Development Bank. He also worked at the World Bank and taught at the American University of Beirut and the University of Torino.  Jeromin Zettelmeyer (@jzettelmeyer) rejoined the IMF as Deputy Director in the Strategy, Policy and Review Department in August 2019. He was previously Senior Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, Director-General for Economic Policy at the German Ministry for Economic Affairs (2014-2016), Director of Research and Deputy Chief Economist at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (2008–2014) and IMF staff member (1994–2008). He is a CEPR research fellow and a member of CESIfo, and led CEPR’s Research and Policy Network on European Economic Architecture during 2018-19. He has published in major economics journals and is co-author of Debt Defaults and Lessons from a Decade of Crises, a study of sovereign debt crises during the 1990s and 2000s.  Andrés Velasco (@AndresVelasco) is Dean of the LSE School of Public Policy.  This event is part of LSE's public event series - COVID-19: The Policy Response. COVID-19 represents an enormous challenge for the social sciences to help governments and non-governmental organisations respond to the economic and societal consequences of the pandemic. Part of LSE's response to this challenge is a series of online public events that will take place over the Summer Term. Why not visit the School of Public Policy COVID-19 Resource Centre. This event in the series has been organised by the Financial Markets Group, School of Public Policy, and the Institute of Global Affairs. The next event in this series will take place at 2pm on 22 June on Brexit and the Post-COVID-19 Options for the Economy. The Financial Markets Group Research Centre (@FMG_LSE) was established in 1987 at the LSE. The FMG is a leading centre in Europe for policy research into financial markets. It is the focal point of the LSE's research communication with the business, policy making and international finance communities. The FMG works alongside the Department of Finance to understand problems in financial markets and in the decision-making processes of corporations, banks and regulators. The School of Public Policy (@LSEPublicPolicy) is an international community where ideas and practice meet. Our approach creates professionals with the ability to analyse, understand and resolve the challenges of contemporary governance. The Institute of Global Affairs (@LSEIGA) aims to maximise the impact of LSE's leading expertise across the social sciences by shaping inclusive and locally-rooted responses to the most important and pressing global challenges. Twitter Hashtag for this event: #LSECOVID19