Torbjörn Becker

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has resulted in devastating damage to the country’s physical, economic, and human infrastructure. Should the military campaign towards liberation be successful,  the reconstruction of Ukraine offers a unique opportunity to rebuild the country in a modern, secure, and Eurocentric manner.This first title in CEPR’s Rapid Response Economics series, which is designed to publish research on major policy issues with the utmost speed, provides an overview of the design and requirements for the reconstruction effort. The authors,  Torbjörn Becker, Barry Eichengreen, Yuriy Gorodnichenko, Sergei Guriev, Simon Johnson, Tymofiy Mylovanov, Kenneth Rogoff, and Beatrice Weder di Mauro, build on past experiences with postwar reconstruction, drawing inspiration from the post-WWII Marshall Plan, the reunification of Germany, and the reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as reconstruction following severe natural disasters. While the road to peace and stability is filled with challenges, the level of economic development, proximity to the EU, and a strong sense of common purpose and unity within Ukraine provides cautious cause for optimism.