Navigating post-Covid-19 economic recovery in WAEMU: A DSGE approach

This paper evaluates the effectiveness of economic policies implemented by fiscal and monetary authorities against the Covid-19 pandemic in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU). To that end, we employ a medium-scale DSGE model that regards WAEMU as a closed system, made up of a continuum of small open economies. Our simulations reveal that, while an ample battery of fiscal and monetary measures was deployed to counter the challenges posed by Covid-19 and support economic recovery, fiscal policy interventions proved more effective in the short run. Fiscal measures mitigated the pandemic’s economic fallout across all households, providing immediate relief and promoting a swift rebound.