Our response to covid-19

The covid-19 pandemic is seeing countries in unchartered territories and governments and development agencies grappling with a myriad of challenges. The covid-19 pandemic is having a seismic impact on public services and their ability to maintain service delivery whilst responding to the crisis; Households and their ability to survive and rebuild or protect their livelihoods; and the economy, governments’ ability to provide the financial support required to sustain economic activity through crisis to recovery.

Focus is on the immediate response to the crisis; rolling out measures to prevent the spread of the virus and treating patients and developing strategies to limit the social and economic impacts on citizens. The immediate response will quickly move to recovery and reform. OPM is responding to covid-19 through our immediate response, through pivoting our existing projects and ramping up our capability on the ground. And working through the response, recovery and reform planning needed in the medium-term that is imperative to deal with the aftermath of this crisis.

You will find content below that shows the work we are doing immediately in the field, and posing the questions and policy options that will be needed to navigate the covid-19 crisis in the medium term.

Read our new research on development finance and the macro economic impact of Covid-19

Our new research looks at the macroeconomic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in 15 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, and uses economic modelling to forecast different scenarios for recovery, outlining important roles for bilateral and multilateral donors.

Listen to the latest episode of our podcast, Policy in Pandemics, which looks at the current Covid-19 crisis from the point of view of governments and policy makers around the world. We speak to all kinds of people – both inside and outside of government – to learn how they are responding to covid-19, what challenges are emerging, and what lessons are being learned.

Listen and subscribe on iTunes and Spotify, and Google Podcasts