Opinion We need a better head start for the next pandemic Mehdi Shiva, Economist at the GO Lab argues that a failure to invest in public health and access to health care has meant that much of the world is ill-equipped to detect viral threats, protect frontline workers, and treat those who fall ill. He calls for more capital investment to give health systems a head start for the future. VOX
Webinar Covid-19 in low and middle income countries: Implications for outcomes contracts – The GO Lab are holding another webinar from our new Emergency Responses and Government Outcomes (ERGO) peer learning group. The next webinar will be on 6th May, 1-2.30pm and will consider questions surrounding the challenge that low and middle income countries face. GO LabWebinar Performance and accountability during COVID-19: data sharing, monitoring and auditing in crisis contexts - The latest webinar from the Emergency Response and Government Outcomes (ERGO) Peer Learning Group that was established by the GO Lab in response to the coronavirus outbreak. In this session, academics and practitioners will discuss how government can pursue transparency and accountability during and recovering from the pandemic. GO Lab
Announcement Submit your presentation proposal or abstract for SOC20 by 18th May – The Social Outcomes Conference in September 2020 will be virtual. You have until the end of April to submit your presentation proposal or abstract. We have expanded our themes to include emergency responses and government outcomes in response to the pandemic. GO Lab
Blog Q&A with the GO Lab – The British Asian Trust interviewed us about how we got started, tackling social problems, the ethos of the GO Lab and more. We also share the global agenda of the GO Lab and a bit about our Fellows of Practice (FoP) Programme. Please note – I answered these questions a few months ago which is why there's no mention of government responses to Covid-19! The British Asian Trust
Open Session Peer Support Open Session (Emergency Responses and Government Outcomes – ERGO – Peer Learning Group) – This open session is on Wednesday 15th April 3.30-5pm. It will discuss the topics from the recent ERGO webinar on the implications of COVID-19 on outcomes contracts. Then, representatives from two outcomes projects will share their current challenges in and approaches to service delivery during the pandemic with discussion to follow. GO LabWebinar recording COVID-19 and Outcomes Contracts – This webinar is from from 8th April was in response to the global coronavirus outbreak, watch it again on our website. It explores the implications of the current situation focusing in particular on where and on what dimensions outcomes contracts are able to flex and adapt to the realities of the pandemic. GO Lab
News April 2020 – Impact Bond Landscape – We have compiled the latest on impact bonds around the word from our Impact Bond Database. Here is a snapshot of the leading countries on impact bonds, the different policy areas they are present in, as well as the different kinds of impact bond contracts across the world. I'll be tweeting these images throughout the week, feel free to share too. GO Lab
Webinar Covid-19 and Outcomes Contracts – In response to the global coronavirus outbreak, the GO Lab has launched a new peer learning group called Emergency Responses and Government Outcomes. This group will convene to take stock of the implications that emergency situations have on those implementing outcomes based approaches. The first session will be on 8thApril at 3.30-5pm, register to join. GO Lab
Blog Why we might disagree about…Covid-19 - Ruth Dixon and Christopher Hood have published their latest thoughts on the different perspectives on Covid-19. They argue that disagreements are inevitable given the variations in attitudes to risk. They argue we need to accept the reality of this variety of world views in order to reach acceptable – if ‘clumsy’ solutions. GO Lab
Opinion $10bn Covid Innovation Bonds needed to develop mass testing – Ronald Cohen, the ‘father of impact investing’ argues that pay for success financing models could help pave the way out of the Covid-19 crisis. Pioneers Post
Opinion Creative public-private collaborations in Taiwan and South Korea bolster the fight against coronavirus –Cooperation the public and private sector are enabling a prompt response to the challenge of distributing important health products during the Covid-19 crisis. Stanford Social Innovation Review
Online workshop Covid-19 Special: How to use evidence in policymaking – Free workshop for public servants and policymakers on 20th April, 4-5pm. This will discuss the important of evidence based policy, how to effectively run and deliver successful evidence based policy, how to apply past earnings and best practices. Apolitical
News Impact Finance Bulletin: Funders react to Covid-19 and new social impact bonds– This monthly impact finance bulletin brings the latest from the world of investing for good. This includes the latest on the impact bond for at risk youth in Belgium. Pioneers Post
Podcast How can social impact bonds help prevent social issues? This 15 minute podcast episode is recorded by the Esade Entrepreneurial Institute. It provides a basic overview of SIBs and focuses on Spain but also speaks more generally on the topic. Esade
News ‘ATMAH’ programmes to increase employment opportunities for People of Determination in Abu Dhabi – This news piece shares the latest information about the first SIB in Abu Dhabi to that helps people with employability skills and helps them secure permanent employment. It shares information on the partners involved and how it will operate. The Emirates News Agency
Opinion Impact decoded: How the principles of investing for impact an help us fund smart through uncertain times – With funding for innovative solutions in greater demand than ever, this piece argues that investors for impact can play a vital role. This new series will ‘decode the core characteristics of investors for impact and explore how they can guide others to back high impact solutions in the smartest possible way’. Pioneers Post