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COVID-19
What lessons can we learn about society, government and crisis preparation from the COVID-19 pandemic?
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Focus on COVID-19
Find out more about our work on the global COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic was a global crisis whose repercussions are ongoing. On top of illness and death, it led to unprecedented restrictions in countries all over the world – radically changing daily life and creating a huge economic shock. Launched in March 2020, our Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker was and is the authoritative picture of policy responses in every country in the world. Explore the tracker and our other COVID-19 research. 

FEATURED

Community health workers sticking posters about COVID-19 prevention
Project

COVID-19 Government Response Tracker

Governments are taking a wide range of measures in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The response tracker tool aims to track and compare policy responses around the world, rigorously and consistently – and make this data freely available.

COVID-19
Brazil
...
Canada
China
United Kingdom (UK)
United States of America (USA)
Covid report front cover
Publication
30 March 2023

Crisis preparation in the age of long emergencies

Our report explores the lessons national governments can learn from the pandemic to be prepared for a variety of future crises.

Ciaran MartinHester KanMaximillian Fink
COVID-19
Publication
06 December 2023

Building back from COVID-19: Lessons learned during COVID-19 and overcoming educational inequality in the aftermath of school closures

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on education globally, with extended school closures posing significant challenges, particularly in Brazil. In this policy brief, we provide policy recommendations and evidence supporting them based on the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Filipe Recch
Education
COVID-19
...
Lemann Foundation Programme at Oxford
Brazil
Forest fire
Programme

Crisis preparation and response

Crisis preparation and response is a fundamental responsibility of government. In an era of prolonged, cross-cutting crises, how can lessons from the past help governments prepare?

COVID-19
Global security
Sign warning people to stay 2m apart
31
Mar
31 March 2023, 10:00 - 11:00

What did COVID-19 teach us about preparing for mega-crises?

With ‘long emergencies’ likely to be an increasing feature of our modern world, what can governments learn from COVID-19 to prepare for future crises, whether health-related or not? This one-hour online event launched our report on the question.

PROGRAMMES AND PROJECTS

    • Forest fire
      Programme

      Crisis preparation and response

    • Sao Paulo downtown
      Project

      Brazil’s COVID-19 policy response

    • Community health workers sticking posters about COVID-19 prevention
      Project

      COVID-19 Government Response Tracker

    LATEST NEWS

    SEE ALL LATEST NEWS
    Kate Orkin receiving award
    News
    15 November 2023

    Award for Kate Orkin’s role in keeping millions out of poverty

    Faculty member Kate Orkin has won the ESRC award for Outstanding Public Policy Impact, for her role advising the South African government during COVID-19 and beyond. She influenced £4.87 billion in spending that helped 28.5 million people and saved 5.5 million from extreme poverty.

    Economy
    Development
    ...
    COVID-19
    Human behaviour
    Africa
    South Africa
    People in Manhattan wearing face masks
    News
    17 July 2023

    Detailed record of global COVID-19 policies made permanently available

    Our COVID-19 Government Response Tracker - the most comprehensive record of pandemic measures in the world - has published and archived its final dataset and working paper, creating a permanent, freely available, global record of COVID-19 policies.
     

    COVID-19
    Health
    Three Italian teenagers with surgical masks chat on the marble steps of a church in Abruzzo, Italy
    News
    04 August 2022

    Continuing to track government responses to help prevent the next pandemic

    The Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker will continue data collection through the end of 2022, bolstering efforts to prepare for future pandemics.

    COVID-19
    Health
    ...
    COVID-19 Government Response Tracker

    VOICES BLOG

    SEE ALL VOICES
    Opinion and insight from around the school
    João Pedro Caleiro speaks at a CONASS panel
    Blog
    23 September 2024

    “Value for money and value for many”: a push for better G20 health systems in a post-pandemic world

    João Pedro Caleiro, writer-researcher at the Lemann Foundation Programme and former MPP student, explains how ideas about “value” can help us create stronger, more resilient health systems.

    João Pedro Caleiro
    João Pedro Caleiro
    Health
    COVID-19
    ...
    Lemann Foundation Programme at Oxford
    Brazil
    Dominic Cummings giving evidence at the UK's COVID Inquiry
    Blog
    08 November 2023

    Six months before the UK Covid Inquiry's public hearings, our report suggested lessons to be learned

    COVID-19 tested the UK’s crisis structures to breaking point. We must act now to prepare better for the next crisis.

    Hester Kan
    Hester Kan
    COVID-19
    Crisis preparation and response
    Covid tracker promotional video screenshot
    Blog
    23 March 2023

    During COVID-19, every government wanted information on what other countries were doing. Volunteers provided it from their bedrooms.

    Thomas Hale argues that, with more pandemics ahead, nations shouldn’t rely on spontaneous volunteer efforts for mission-critical information.

    Thomas Hale
    Thomas Hale
    COVID-19
    COVID-19 Government Response Tracker

    PUBLICATIONS

      • What works hub paper cover
        Publication
        22 July 2024

        What Works Hub for Global Education: Understanding gaps between policy and practice

        This article presents new systematic analysis of the gap between education policy and practice across 50 countries during COVID-19, a time of substantial policy innovation.

        Noam AngristStefan Dercon
        COVID-19
        Education
        ...
        What Works Hub for Global Education
        Latin America and the Caribbean
      • Publication
        06 December 2023

        Building back from COVID-19: Lessons learned during COVID-19 and overcoming educational inequality in the aftermath of school closures

        The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on education globally, with extended school closures posing significant challenges, particularly in Brazil. In this policy brief, we provide policy recommendations and evidence supporting them based on the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic.

        Filipe Recch
        Education
        COVID-19
        ...
        Lemann Foundation Programme at Oxford
        Brazil
      • Publication
        29 June 2023

        Variation in government responses to COVID-19

        The Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT) provides a systematic way to track government responses to COVID-19 across countries and sub-national jurisdictions over time. This is version 15 of the working paper.

        Adam WadeAnna PetherickBeatriz KiraEmily Cameron-BlakeHelen TatlowJodie ElmsKaitlyn GreenLaura HallasMartina Di FolcoThomas HaleToby PhillipsYuxi ZhangJessica AnaniaBernardo Andretti de MelloNoam AngristRoy BarnesThomas BobyEmily Cameron-Blake Alice CavalieriMartina Di Folco Benjamin EdwardsLucy EllenJody ElmsRodrigo FurstRafael GoldszmidtLaura Hallas Maria LucianoSaptarshi MajumdarThayslene Marques OliveiraRadhika NageshAnnalena PottJulia SampaioSamuel WebsterAndrew WoodHao ZhaYuxi Zhang Will TornessAndrea VaccaroSandhya Laping Nadya Kamenkovich Luyao Ren
        COVID-19
        COVID-19 Government Response Tracker
      • Covid report front cover
        Publication
        30 March 2023

        Crisis preparation in the age of long emergencies

        Our report explores the lessons national governments can learn from the pandemic to be prepared for a variety of future crises.

        Ciaran MartinHester KanMaximillian Fink
        COVID-19
      • Publication
        24 March 2023

        US state-level OxCGRT reports

        An overview of the key policy decisions taken to manage the transmission of COVID-19 and protect public health in 12 US states using data from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT).

        Arabella AbadZainab ApalaraKiyomi BoyesIndia ClancyKristian Clausell-MobleyOmkar EkboteKaitlyn GreenMadison HarrisHelene JowSandhya LapingHan NguyenRebeca NievesMorgan O’BrienUrmila PandeyAndressa PenaPhuong PhamSwathi RayasamJordan ShipleyViolet SimpsonAnthony Sudarmawan
        COVID-19
        COVID-19 Government Response Tracker
      • Publication
        16 February 2023

        What would a data framework for policy responses to pandemic diseases look like?

        This scoping paper discusses how information on government policy responses to pandemic diseases should be collected and analysed to build preparedness.

        Thomas HaleAnna PetherickToby PhillipsKaitlyn GreenBernardo AndrettiRodrigo FurstClare WenhamBernardo Andretti di MeloNadezhda KamenkovichToby PhilipsWill TornessSandhya LapingHao ZhaRadhika Nagesh
        COVID-19
        COVID-19 Government Response Tracker
      • Publication
        14 December 2022

        Indian state-level policy responses to COVID-19 during the second wave

        This paper tracks the evolution of the Indian government policy response to the coronavirus pandemic using data from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker, collected for Indian sub-national jurisdictions.

        Thomas HaleAnna PetherickToby PhillipsRadhika NageshManikantha NatarajHimangshu Kumar
        COVID-19
        COVID-19 Government Response Tracker
        ...
        Health, education and public services
        India
      • Publication
        11 October 2022

        Proposal for funding and co-ordination mechanisms to maximise benefit / minimise cost / minimise risk from donor investment in COVID-19 vaccine development

        This policy brief, written in March 2020, argues finance (rather than development of new vaccine technology) was likely to be the binding constraint on the timing of broad and equitable global availability of COVID-19 vaccines.

        Stefan DerconKate OrkinAlexander DouglasAdrian Hill
        COVID-19
        Health
        ...
        Health, education and public services
      • Publication
        17 June 2022

        Variation in policy response to COVID-19 across Australian states and territories

        This working paper provides an overview of the key policy decisions taken to curtail the transmission of COVID-19 and protect public health in the eight Australian states and territories.

        Toby PhillipsBen EdwardsRoy BarnesPatrick RehillLucy EllenFiona ZhongAlfie Killigrew Pedro Riquelme Gonzalez Elena SheardRuibiao Zhu
        COVID-19
        COVID-19 Government Response Tracker
        ...
        Australia
      • Publication
        22 March 2022

        What have we learned from tracking every government policy on COVID-19 for the past two years?

        This paper describes the broad patterns of government responses over the first two years of the pandemic. Understanding what works, and what does not, first requires valid measurement of what governments have and have not done.

        Emily Cameron-BlakeHelen TatlowKaitlyn GreenMartina Di FolcoThomas HaleToby PhillipsAnthony SudarmawanHao Zha
        COVID-19
        COVID-19 Government Response Tracker
        ...
        Health, education and public services
      • Publication
        25 January 2022

        Chinese provincial government responses to COVID-19

        Thomas HaleYuxi ZhangHao ZhaHui ZhouLijun WangZihan ZhangZijia TanLongmei Deng
        COVID-19
        COVID-19 Government Response Tracker
        ...
        Health, education and public services
        China
      • Publication
        08 November 2021

        Rethinking Health Security after COVID-19

        In a critical examination of the health security paradigm, this report argues that, while the security implications of pandemics are clear, the concept of health security distracts attention from the underlying determinants of health that exacerbate the effects of severe disease outbreaks and disproportionately affect the most vulnerable. The report offers recommendations for developing and sustaining a human-centred approach to global health.

        Federica D’Alessandra Nima GeramiAmanda Moodie
        COVID-19
        Health
        ...
        Global security
        Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict
      • Publication
        21 May 2021

        The societal responses to COVID-19: evidence from the G7 countries

        Katharina Lima de Miranda
        COVID-19
        Economy
        ...
        Canada
        France
        Germany
        Italy
        Japan
        United Kingdom (UK)
        United States of America (USA)
      • Publication
        19 May 2021

        What did children do during school closures? Insights from a parent survey in Tanzania

        Shardul OzaJacobus Cilliers
        COVID-19
        Education
        ...
        Research on Improving Systems of Education Programme (RISE)
        Tanzania
      • Publication
        07 May 2021

        Variation in US states’ responses to COVID-19

        Laura HallasThomas HaleAriq HatibieSaptarshi MajumdarMonika PyaraliRachelle KochAndrew Wood
        COVID-19
        COVID-19 Government Response Tracker
        ...
        United States of America (USA)
      • Publication
        15 March 2021

        The importance of students’ socio-emotional learning, mental health, and wellbeing in the time of COVID-19

        Louise YorkePauline RoseStephen BayleyDarge Wole MesheshaPaul Ramchandani
        COVID-19
        Education
        ...
        Research on Improving Systems of Education Programme (RISE)
      • Publication
        15 March 2021

        Variation in the Canadian provincial and territorial responses to COVID-19

        Emily Cameron-BlakeHelen TatlowThomas HaleAndrew WoodJonathan SmithJulia SawatskyZachary ParsonsKatherine TysonCharles BretonPaisley Sim
        COVID-19
        COVID-19 Government Response Tracker
        ...
        Canada
      • Publication
        24 February 2021

        Scaling energy investments in fragile states

        Camilla SacchettoSarah Logan
        COVID-19
        Development
        ...
        Global security
        International Growth Centre
      • Publication
        27 January 2021

        COVID-19 and taxes: Policies for the post-pandemic recovery

        Oliver HarmanShahrukh WaniAnders JensenFarria NaeemMoussa SaabNick Wilkinson
        COVID-19
        Public sector
      • Publication
        01 December 2020

        COVID-19 and disruption of the digital economy: evidence from low and middle-income countries

        Karishma BangaDirk Willem te Velde
        COVID-19
        Economy
        ...
        Development
        Digital, Cyber and AI
        Digital Pathways at Oxford
      • Publication
        01 December 2020

        Balancing privacy with technology use: lessons from COVID-19

        Harshita AgrawalPrakhar MisraAnanth Padmanabhan
        Digital, Cyber and AI
        COVID-19
        ...
        Law
        Digital Pathways at Oxford
      • Publication
        24 November 2020

        Brazil’s fight against COVID-19: risk, policies, and behaviours

        Anna PetherickBeatriz KiraLorena BarberiaRodrigo FurstMaria LucianoSaptarshi MajumdarRafael Goldszmidt
        COVID-19
        COVID-19 Government Response Tracker
        ...
        Brazil’s COVID-19 policy response
        Brazil
      • Publication
        16 November 2020

        A sector hanging in the balance: early childhood development and lockdown in South Africa

        Gabrielle WillsJaneli KotzéJesal Kika-Mistry
        COVID-19
        Education
        ...
        Research on Improving Systems of Education Programme (RISE)
        South Africa
      • Publication
        23 October 2020

        (Policy brief) Coping with COVID 19: Protecting lives, employment, and incomes in Myanmar

        Aung HeinEmanuele BrancatiPaul MinolettiNilar WinGuillem Riambau
        COVID-19
        Economy
        ...
        International Growth Centre
        Myanmar
      • Publication
        23 October 2020

        (Project report) Coping with COVID-19: Protecting lives, employment and incomes in Myanmar

        Aung HeinEmanuele BrancatiPaul MinolettiNilar WinGuillem Riambau
        COVID-19
        Economy
        ...
        International Growth Centre
        Myanmar
      • Publication
        23 October 2020

        Risk of Openness Index: When do government responses need to be increased or maintained?

        Anna PetherickBeatriz KiraKaty AymarNoam AngristThomas HaleToby PhillipsSaptarshi MajumdarLaura HallasHelen TatlowEmily Cameron-BlakeSam Webster
        COVID-19
        COVID-19 Government Response Tracker
        ...
        Health, education and public services
      • Publication
        20 October 2020

        Informality and COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa

        Camilla SacchettoEgas DanielMichael DanquahHenry Telli
        COVID-19
        Economy
        ...
        International Growth Centre
        Africa
      • Publication
        22 September 2020

        To mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on education outcomes, systems should prioritise foundational skills and adapt instruction to children’s learning level

        Marla Spivack
        COVID-19
        Education
        ...
        Research on Improving Systems of Education Programme (RISE)
      • Publication
        06 August 2020

        Building on solid foundations: prioritising universal, early, conceptual and procedural mastery of foundational skills

        Carmen BelafiMichelle KaffenbergerYue-Yi Hwa
        COVID-19
        Education
        ...
        Research on Improving Systems of Education Programme (RISE)
      • Publication
        22 June 2020

        Is Brazil ready to relax COVID-19 response policies?

        Beatriz Kira
        COVID-19
        Brazil’s COVID-19 policy response
        ...
        Brazil
      • Publication
        22 June 2020

        Do Brazil’s COVID-19 government response measures meet the WHO’s criteria for policy easing?

        Anna PetherickBeatriz KiraRafael GoldszmidtLorena Barberia
        COVID-19
        Brazil’s COVID-19 policy response
        ...
        Brazil
      • Publication
        01 June 2020

        Lockdown rollback checklist

        Anna PetherickBeatriz KiraKaty AymarThomas HaleToby PhillipsSamuel Webster
        COVID-19
        COVID-19 Government Response Tracker
      • Publication
        13 May 2020

        Using digital technologies to re-imagine cash transfers during the COVID-19 crisis

        Tebello QhotsokoaneToby PhillipsNika Soon-Shiong
        COVID-19
        Digital, Cyber and AI
        ...
        Digital Pathways at Oxford
      • Publication
        20 April 2020

        The Socio-Economics of Pandemics Policy

        Dennis J Snower
        COVID-19
        Economy
        ...
        Social Macroeconomics
      • Publication
        16 April 2020

        Education during the COVID-19 crisis

        Raluca DavidToby PhillipsArnaldo PelliniKaty Jordan
        COVID-19
        Education
        ...
        Digital, Cyber and AI
        Digital Pathways at Oxford
        Health, education and public services
      • Publication
        07 April 2020

        Variation in the response to COVID-19 across the four nations of the United Kingdom

        Emily Cameron-BlakeHelen TatlowThomas HaleToby PhillipsSagar GrewalAndrew Wood
        COVID-19
        COVID-19 Government Response Tracker
        ...
        United Kingdom (UK)

      RESEARCH UPDATES

      SEE ALL RESEARCH UPDATES
      Kate Orkin portrait
      Research update

      Getting cash-based poverty relief to the poorest quickly during COVID-19, in partnership with the South African government

      Kate Orkin has been working with governments in developing countries to design social security responses such as unemployment benefits and cash grants.

      COVID-19
      Public sector
      ...
      Inclusion
      Centre for the Study of African Economies
      Economic growth and equality
      South Africa
      Maya Tudor
      Research update

      New paper on COVID-19 and authoritarianism published

      A paper on COVID-19 and authoritarianism, co-authored by Jonathan Wolff with Anna Petherick, Maya Tudor and two research assistants on the Alfred Landecker Programme (David Elitzer and Katie Tyner) has been published in the Global Justice Network.

      COVID-19
      Alfred Landecker Programme
      Jonathan Wolff
      Research update

      Jonathan Wolff contributes to paper in The Lancet about ACT-A

      Faculty member Professor Jo Wolff contributes to a paper identifying the challenges of the ACT-A's governance.

      COVID-19
      Integrity
      ...
      Health
      Research update

      Scan of European policies in support of policies supporting women in the labour market

      New research carried out for the International Public Policy Observatory by contributors to the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT) and the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) highlights European initiatives that make gender a key consideration in the recovery plans from the crisis.

      COVID-19
      Economy
      ...
      Inclusion
      COVID-19 Government Response Tracker
      Economic growth and equality
      Europe

      PEOPLE

      See all people
      Noam Angrist
      Academic Director (What Works Hub for Global Education) and Senior Research Fellow
      Maximilian Fink
      Research collaborator
      Thomas Hale
      Professor in Public Policy (Global Public Policy)
      Ciaran Martin
      Professor of Practice in the Management of Public Organisations
      Anna Petherick
      Associate Professor in Public Policy and Director of the Lemann Foundation Programme
      Andrea Vaccaro
      Postdoctoral Research Fellow
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