Publications

In this note, we review rigorous studies that have analyzed how COVID-19 and related policies are impacting rates of VAW/C and highlight more reliable methods, while acknowledging limitations of underlying data sources. We propose recommendations for how to both broaden and deepen our collective understanding of how COVID-19 is impacting these forms of violence, and what can be done in response.

Community health workers (CHWs) are often the first point of care for vulnerable and underserved populations in low- and middle-income countries, but do they have the PPE they need to do their jobs?

Early reports suggest the fatality rate from COVID-19 varies greatly across countries, but it's impossible to directly estimate the infection fatality rate in many low- and middle-income countries. To fill this gap, we estimate the adjustments required to extrapolate estimates of the IFR from high- to lower-income regions.

Diagnostic testing is at the center of the policy debate around COVID-19 interventions in India. As of June 1, 2020, India had conducted approximately 3.8 million tests since it began testing in February, but many experts have noted that testing capacity is still drastically insufficient for the needs of the population.

Most governments around the world have temporarily closed schools in an attempt to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. As they start to plan for reopening, we have compiled a series of short and accessible briefs that provide the best available rigorous evidence on five critical dimensions of school reopening and recovery.

In this article, we draw on our pilot testing of phone-based assessments in Botswana, along with the existing literature on oral testing of reading and mathematics, to propose a series of preliminary practical lessons to guide researchers and service providers as they try phone-based learning assessments. We provide preliminary evidence that phone-based assessments can accurately capture basic numeracy skills.

This paper assesses Colombia’s recent expansion in comprehensive early childhood care, underscoring the importance of strong high-level political commitment, inter-institutional coordination and stable financing.

Governments around the world have closed borders and businesses to combat the spread of COVID-19. These measures have had a devastating effect on the tourism industry, cutting travel by 25 percent and costing more than 100 million jobs.