Why settle for recovery? A guidance note on building back better micro & small enterprises and resilient market systems during crisis and after lockdown

COVID-19 and related lockdown measures have resulted in an economic crisis that is jeopardizing millions of livelihoods in the poorest countries. This brief guidance note makes the argument that it is critical to build back better by thinking about inclusivity, green growth and resilience in the long term. Governments, development programs, employers and workers will have to do “more with less” as economies shrink and strategy matters now more than ever. A ‘market systems development’ approach can help tackle the underlying causes of market failures in order to build back better and more resilient markets.