Because economic conditions during these two periods were quite different, the policy space available in each period for pursuing development goals, including the MDGs, was defined differently. The first period was a time of increased policy space that represented an opportunity for economic policies to become enablers for achieving development goals. During the second period, policy space was more constrained and the effects of the crisis on the achievement of the MDGs were more or less drastic depending on the policy responses at the time. The discussion points to the importance of keeping in mind the potential macroeconomic trade-offs of any financing efforts to bridge such spending gaps within a coherent and comprehensive policy framework (see section on the challenges of bridging spending gaps).