COVID-19-Induced Crises of Hunger and Poverty Require Bold, Effective International Response

In conjunction with the release of a new paper in Science Advances, based on data from IPA's RECOVR Survey and other data sets, a number of co-authors, experts, as well as CEGA, IGC, IPA, J-PAL, and Y-RISE released a joint statement that called on the international community to take action against COVID-induced hunger and poverty in low- and middle-income countries by deepening investment in cash assistance and food security and by prioritizing recovery strategies that address the protracted nature of the crisis.

Read the full joint statement here, the press release here, and the policy brief on the paper here.

NEW RESULTS

Persuading Religious Leaders to Encourage Compliance with COVID-19 Measures in Pakistan

Researcher: Kate Vyborny

Effective engagement with religious leaders to persuade them to encourage compliance with health measures could be critical in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, especially since religious gatherings carry a high risk of infection. In Pakistan—a country with one of the highest levels of religiosity in the world—researchers conducted a randomized evaluation to test whether personalized telephone calls with community religious leaders successfully encouraged them to advise people to comply with COVID-19 health recommendations. The evaluation revealed that the calls increased the proportion of religious leaders who advise wearing a mask by 25 percent.

Read the full study summary here.

FEATURED BLOG

Making Noor and Aziz: The Research Behind Sesame Workshop's Rohingya Characters

By Jeffrey Mosenkis and Sneha Subramanian

For the first time, Sesame Workshop unveiled two new Muppet characters designed to resonate with Rohingya refugee children in Bangladesh as part of its Play to Learn program with the LEGO Foundation, BRAC, and the International Rescue Committee. It made news on NBC’s Today Show, the New York Times, BBC, and elsewhere. We spoke with Sneha Subramanian of IPA Bangladesh about IPA’s role in research behind the twin characters, Noor and Aziz.

Read the full blog post here.

BLOG

RECOVR Roundup Vol. 10: Social Protection in the Time of COVID-19
By Jeffrey Mosenkis, Luciana Debenedetti, and Rachel Strohm

From the Field to Policy Formulation—How Research is Informing Consumer Protection in Sierra Leone
By William Blackmon, Filippo Cuccaro, Andreas Holzinger, Rafe Mazer, Wycliffe Ngwabe, and Daniel Putman

Can Sports and Life Skills Programs Improve Labor Force Outcomes for Vulnerable Youth?
By Lori Beaman, Niall Keleher, Jeremy Magruder, and Sylvan Herskowitz

RECOVR Roundup Vol. 9: Social Protection in the Time of COVID-19
By Jeffrey Mosenkis, Luciana Debenedetti, and Rachel Strohm

New RECOVR Survey Findings in Sierra Leone Highlight Socio-Economic Fallout from COVID-19 as New Restrictions Are Put in Place
By Filippo Cuccaro, Luciana Debenedetti, and Andreas Holzinger

IPA IN THE NEWS

NPR Covers New Study on the Impact of COVID-19 in Nine Lower- and Middle-Income Countries

In Vox, the Toll of COVID-19 on Lower-Income Households

Reuters with Shana Warren on the Need for Economic Aid to Vulnerable Households

In the Financial Times, New Survey on COVID-19's Impact on Nine Developing Nations

NPR on How IPA Research is Helping Target Emergency Cash Transfers in Togo

EVENTS

RECENT

RECOVR Webinar Series | COVID-19 and Forced Displacement in the Global South | Evidence from High Frequency Phone Surveys
February 23 | Webinar, United States

Demand-Driven Evidence: The Philippine Government in the Driver’s Seat
February 18 | Webinar, Philippines

Consumer Protection Research Initiative Request for Proposals: Information Sessions
February 10-11 | Online, United States

Webinar | Gang Rule: An Experiment in Countering Criminal Governance
February 10 | Webinar, United States

Evidence to Impact in Crisis: How Have We Measured Up During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
January 14 | Webinar, United States

DONATE | RESEARCH | IMPACT | WORK WITH IPA | CAREERS

poverty-action.org

Sent to [email protected] by Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)

Innovations for Poverty Action
1440 G St. NW, Suite 9142
Washington, DC xxxxxx-2001
[email protected]

Unsubscribe | Manage Your Email Preferences | Profile | Forward