Public Policy Advisory

Bridging the Between Research and Policy Impact During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Enhanced research-policy translation and institutional resilience across nine developing countries during the COVID-19 pandemic through systematic monitoring and adaptive management strategies.

Client: International Growth Centre, London School of Economics

Sector: International Development / Economic Research

Category: Economic Analysis and Research, Public Policy Advisory, International Development Strategy

Key achievements and results

Maintained research quality and policy impact across nine country offices in Africa and South Asia during unprecedented global disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Led systematic reorganization of Bangladesh country program, improving resource allocation and strategic alignment within a $5 million USD portfolio
Managed research programmes and country programmes across nine countries in Africa and South Asia

Problem

The International Growth Centre faced a critical challenge in maintaining research excellence and policy relevance across diverse political and economic contexts during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. As Head of Country Programmes (Senior Economist), I needed to coordinate eleven in-country teams comprising over twenty staff members across Africa and South Asia while ensuring research outputs continued to inform government policy during unprecedented global disruption. The situation demanded careful consideration of diverse political and economic contexts and quickly evolving research priorities during a period when traditional research and engagement methods were no longer viable.

Approach

Working closely with the Policy Director, I implemented a comprehensive strategy combining systematic monitoring with adaptive management techniques. I regularly consulted with country teams and conducted analysis to understand factors associated with achieving policy and research impact across different contexts. Our approach emphasized systematic evidence collection to assess both research progress and practical policy implementation, while establishing stronger connections between academic researchers and government stakeholders through enhanced cross-country communication and learning protocols.

Mapping global consumer incentive schemes for value added taxes

Results

The programme achieved significant improvements in research-policy translation and institutional resilience during a critical period. We established stronger connections between academic researchers and government stakeholders, improved cross-country communication and learning, and enhanced the IGC’s reputation for research excellence and policy relevance. The systematic monitoring of cross-country research spending and policy impact led to better resource allocation and more effective targeting of research investments. The reorganization of Bangladesh’s research portfolio delivered immediate improvements to the country office’s impact and alignment with the wider goals of the IGC.

Monitoring economic policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

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