This is our monthly policy briefing for May 2020. Each week we gather all the news, commentary and events from across the sector, then tie it all together each month. If you would like to get this in your inbox each week you can sign up to Tiny Letter.
Online event So, you need to change your research and evaluation plans? The latest session from the GO Lab is on 3rd June, 4-5.30pm - This virtual panel brings together researchers and evaluators speaking on how they are adapting their existing work to take Covid-19 into account and/or designing specifically for it. Speakers are: James Ronicle, Director at Ecorys, Richard Simmons, Senior Lecturer, University of Stirling, Eleanor Carter, Research Director, GO Lab and Caroline Bernandi, Chief Development Officer, Village Enterprise DIB (Kenya and Uganda). GO Lab
Opinion The missing link between trust and accountability – In his monthly blog, Nigel Ball explores trust and accountability and what has changed during the Covid-19 era. He considers the ‘new normal’ and its implications, and how transparency may be the missing link. GO Lab
Online event ERGO Peer Support open session – The Emergency Responses and Government Outcomes (ERGO) Peer Learning Open Session is having another meeting on 10th June, 3.30-5pm. In this session they will take stock of the implications that the pandemic is having on those implementing outcomes based projects. You will be able to discuss the challenges and learn from each other about possible solutions. GO Lab
Recorded events Emergency Responses and Government Outcomes - Past Events – We have updated our events page so that our past events are easily available to view. You can access the recordings of each of these sessions, including Covid-19 in low and middle-income countries, performance and accountability during Covid-19, and more. GO Lab
Resource Six alternative funding approaches for impact bonds in response to Covid-19 – This note is directed towards those involved in live impact bond projects as they think through the implications of Covid-19 on their contracts. You can read about the six alternative approaches, including why they might be chosen, and the implications for the different parties in the project. GO Lab
Opinion Six ways to adapt outcomes-based approaches for Covid-19 recovery – Louise Savell, Director at Social Finance and Visiting Fellow of Practice, Blavatnik School of Government has written about Covid-19 recovery. She argues that the ability of outcomes-based contracts to respond effectively to change and uncertainty indicates that they could have an important role to play. However, they need to move from design to launch more quickly than they have done in the past. Social Finance
Opinion Covid-19: How blended finance responds – Convergence explore how blended finance can play an important role in medium-to-long term response to the pandemic: 1) Through accelerating economic reconstruction, improving pandemic resiliency and responding to the global health crisis; 2) Through turbocharging our collective efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Opinion Beyond metrics: How impact investng – in all its forms – could help fight the coronavirus crisis – (Not a fan of the sensational headline, but) this piece in Pioneers Post looks at the types of impact investing and proposes a framework to evaluate their respsective challenges. Then it takes a look at what it means for impact investing in the Covid-19 crisis.
Opinion How to make sure the market delivers a Covid-19 vaccine – This piece is written by Amanda Glassman, is Executive Vice President, Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development and a GO Lab Fellow of Practice; and Rachel Silverman, a Policy Fellow at CGD. It explores the challenges of creating a Covid-19 vaccine and how it would potentially be rolled out. She argues that social impact bonds and other methods could guarantee national purchase commitments. GO Lab
Opinion Accountability for Covid-19 aid: better visibility matters for the quality of the response – Amanda Glassman, Executive Vice President of CGD and GO Lab Fellow of Practice is one of the authors on this piece. It explores the impact Covid-19 will have and the importance of aid visibility to assure the speed, cohesiveness, and accountability of the response. Center for Global Development
Online course 5-week evidence boot camp for public servants – This is an interactive boot camp on translating evidence to policy for public servants. It will be 10 minutes per week and will be a mixture of videos, quizzes, case studies, hands on challenges and more. It will help public servants to know how to effectively identify, use and present data and evidence as part of the policymaking process. Apolitical
Key stats May 2020 Impact Bond Landscape – We have compiled the latest on impact bonds from around the world from our Impact Bond Database. Here is a snapshot of the leading countries on impact bonds, the different policy areas impact bonds are present in, as well as the different kinds of impact bond contracts across the world. GO Lab
News Brookings Impact bond Snapshot – May 1st 2020 – Brookings offer their snapshot for May of impact bonds across the world. Brookings