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The Covid-19 pandemic is threatening not only healthcare systems, but also the livelihoods of citizens and the stability of economies. With talk of stimulus and financial packages doing the rounds, this may be the right time to ask the question, is it sensible to go down the beaten path without exploring viable alternatives?

As unemployment rates skyrocket around the world in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a world-first study has found social venture start-ups not only alleviate social problems but also are much more important for job creation than previously thought.

When faced with adversity, male leaders have defaulted to militaristic vocabulary at least since defeated Romans were falling on their swords...Since responding to a virus is not achieved via combat, successfully suppressing it requires a wholly different mindset. Fortunately, several leaders around the world have reacted to the unconventional threat in unconventional style. And they are getting better results.

The UN development system has developed a socio-economic response framework and has switched into emergency mode. A significant portion of the UN's existing portfolio of sustainable development programmes of a total of $17.8 billion across all the SDGs is being adjusted and expanded towards COVID-19 related needs, in close collaboration with programme countries, donors and partners.

It is time to finally learn the hard lessons of the 2008 global financial crisis. As companies, from airlines to retail, come asking for bailouts and other types of assistance, it is important to resist simply handing out money. Conditions can be attached to make sure that bailouts are structured in ways that transform the sectors they're saving so that they become part of a new economy — one that is focused on the green new deal strategy of lowering carbon emissions while also investing in workers, and making sure they can adapt to new technologies. It must be done now, while government has the upper hand.

According to a recent report by Accenture Development Partnerships, digital revolution and innovative financing are reshaping the convergent forces that define international development, leading to a so-called fourth sector with the potential to become a game changer on how the industry works in the next decade.

Today is the launch of the Amsterdam City Doughnut, which takes the global concept of the Doughnut and turns it into a tool for transformative action in the city of Amsterdam. It's also the first public presentation of the holistic approach to "downscaling the Doughnut" that an international team of us have been developing for more than a year. We never imagined that we would be launching it in a context of crisis such as this, but we believe that the need for such a transformative tool could hardly be greater right now, and its use in Amsterdam has the chance to inspire many more places – from neighbourhoods and villages to towns and cities to nations and regions – to take such a holistic approach as they begin to reimagine and remake their own futures.

The COVID Response Alliance for Social Entrepreneurs brings together over 40 leading global organizations to coordinate response for social entrepreneurs as they overcome the significant impacts of COVID-19.

On the 50th anniversary of #EarthDay, what better guidance can we take than from Nature’s example? Read about the empowering metaphor of the Imaginal Cell's, and how to join
@futurereboot's Imaginal network, in Kim Polman's Earth Day article.

The narratives around the world show how the consumption-driven market economy has taken away everything that can be sustainable. A paradigm shift from a "for-profit" mindset to that of a "for-benefit" one is necessary. A new economic order that draws on the "for-public" DNA of the government, the efficiencies and profit mandate of the corporate world, and the social conviction and commitment of the non-profit sector is now needed. Focus needs to shift from revenue generation to ensuring benefit to all stakeholders. While this sounds challenging and like it might involve a long, drawn-out process, the COVID crisis has shown how this change is desirable — and has even already begun. What will be required is the political will and leadership to institutionalize it into the existing ecosystem.

"History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes." I confess that over the years I have sometimes souped it up by rendering that last bit as "... but by God it rhymes!"

This article is produced and published by Devex Impact: a global initiative by Devex and USAID that focuses on the intersection of business and global development and connects companies, organizations and professionals to the practical information they need to make an impact.

At the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting 2020 in Davos earlier this year, "all the talk was about purpose and stakeholder capitalism," she added. "And I think this is the moment to say, 'Okay. If we're serious about that, let's make sure that we bring that lens of stakeholder capitalism, of collective value creation, to the table in how we structure the details of things like the bailouts,'" Mazzucato argued, referencing recent government financial rescue packages in response to COVID-19.

At Acumen, we are committed to standing with the poor, and the leaders of our portfolio companies share that commitment—even in the face of a crisis. But we also know that many companies are facing an existential crisis and that difficult choices lie ahead. We believe there is much to be learned from our own CEOs, as they lead with humility, thoughtfulness and compassion. With unbounded respect and admiration for these intrepid entrepreneurs on the front lines, we offer some thoughts and observations

As society waits impatiently for new signs of life, there is a growing divide between those who aim to restore the comfortable rhythm of status quo and others still who seek a new cadence. A stark divide between the dire circumstances we face as a society where one in four is unemployed and an opportunity to redefine our economy and our entire existence.

A cloudy sky is reflected in the mirrors of an office building in Pfaeffikon, Switzerland. The concept of shared value can define the future of capitalism if consumers, employees and voters make it so.

If we want to avoid ecological disaster, world leaders and citizens must act now, write actress Juliette Binoche and astrophysicist Aurélien Barrau in a call to arms signed by more than 200 artists and scientists.

It is not uncommon to see business executives wearing Sustainable Development Goal lapel pins, with a wheel of colors representing the 17 SDGs.

But all too often, these companies see the SDGs as a way to brand their corporate social responsibility initiatives, rather than a reason to change the way they do business, said Heerad Sabeti, CEO at the multistakeholder platform the Fourth Sector Group.

Whether it's climate change, plummeting biodiversity rates, or unchecked consumption and waste, we already face unprecedented planetary challenges.

Now, the coronavirus COVID-19 has added an extra, deadly layer of complexity to the paths we must forge.

And we have a very limited time left in which to make the big changes that will create a sustainable and just future.

Now more than ever, there are no one-size-fits-all answers; new ways of thinking are needed.

A doughnut cooked up in Oxford will guide Amsterdam out of the economic mess left by the coronavirus pandemic.

While straining to keep citizens safe in the Dutch capital, municipality officials and the British economist Kate Raworth from Oxford University's Environmental Change Institute have also been plotting how the city will rebuild in a post-Covid-19 world.

The conclusion? Out with the global attachment to economic growth and laws of supply and demand, and in with the so-called doughnut model devised by Raworth as a guide to what it means for countries, cities and people to thrive in balance with the planet.