Policy Tools
How are past policy responses to global crises informing the creation of new policies in response to COVID-19? Are the new policies adequate? How are governments across the globe responding to the ever-changing current financial, social and health crises? The policy tools included in this section address some of these questions through 'living papers' on what the social protection responses have been around the world, a set of indicators to measure government responses, and a global repository of policy responses to address COVID-19, among others.
Social Protection and Jobs Response to COVID-19: A Real-Time Review of Country Measures
‘Living paper’ updated weekly of country-level social protection responses to COVID, including: cash transfers, universal one-off cash, childcare support, cash for work, social pensions, in-kind vouchers, school feeding, and utility and financial obligation support.
PoliMap: A global repository of policy responses to tackle COVID-19
Timeline of county-level responses, including social and economic interventions to mitigate the negative consequences of virus suppression measures
First Policy Response: Canada’s policy community response to COVID-19
A curated summary of articles, opinion pieces, papers and Twitter threads
Social Protection Response to the COVID-19 Crisis: Options for Developing Countries
François Gerard, Clément Imbert and Kate Orkin, Economics for Inclusive Prosperity
Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker
Country-level policy stringency index based on 11 indicators, including fiscal and monetary measures.
IMF: Policy responses to COVID
Country-level data on fiscal, monetary and macro-financial, exchange rate and balance of payments and social assistance responses.
COVID-19 Observatory: An MIT collaboration with the World Bank
Rapid assessment of socioeconomic impacts of social distancing policy using private mobility and purchasing pattern data.
Urban Institute: COVID-19: Policies to Protect People and Communities
Analysis of policy issues and solutions in the areas of child care and education, equity and inclusion, fiscal and economic policy, health and health policy, housing policy, small business and community development, states and localities, and workers, work supports and basic needs.
Guidance note on the role of Cash and Voucher Assistance to reduce financial barriers in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic
WHO and Global Health Cluster Task Force. Note focuses on countries targeted by the Global Humanitarian Response Plan COVID-19
UNDP: Temporary Basic Income, Protecting Poor and Vulnerable People in Developing Countries
As the rate of new COVID-19 cases accelerates across the developing world, it exposes the potentially devastating costs of job losses and income reversals. Unconditional emergency cash transfers can mitigate the worst immediate effects of the COVID-19 crisis on poor and near-poor households that do not currently have access to social assistance or insurance protection. This paper provides estimates for a Temporary Basic Income (TBI), a minimum guaranteed income above the poverty line, for vulnerable people in 132 developing countries.