publication

A blueprint for the reconstruction of Ukraine

Authors:
Beatrice WEDER DI MAURO
Torbjörn BECKER
Barry J. EICHENGREEN
Yuriy GORODNICHENKO
Sergei GURIEV
Simon JOHNSON
Tymofiy MYLOVANOV
Kenneth ROGOFF
2022

On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Thousands of civilians were killed. More than a quarter of the population (37 million on the territory controlled by Ukraine as of January 2022) has been displaced, including more than four million to EU countries. Mariupol and many other Ukrainian cities are effectively destroyed. This intensity of destruction and refugee crisis has not been seen in Europe since WWII. Various governments and international organisations have indicated their willingness to help Ukraine recover from the war. This policy brief outlines ideas for the design and requirements of this effort. The authors build on prior experiences with post-war reconstruction (e.g. the Marshall Plan after WWII, the reunification of Germany, and the reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan) and reconstruction following natural disasters. As more information about the outcome of the war becomes available, specifics of the reconstruction can be developed.