This webinar is part of IPA's RECOVR Webinar Series: Bringing Evidence to COVID-19 Policy Responses in the Global South. Together with our partners, we are using this series to rapidly share what we are learning with the policy and research community to support evidence-informed response efforts. More information about other events in the series is available here.

Are households experiencing disruptions in receiving basic healthcare services? How can policymakers assess the effectiveness of government assistance and plan for long-term economic recovery? How are people complying with COVID-19 safety and hygiene regulations?

These and other questions have been at the forefront of decision-makers’ minds while forming policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Tracking how people’s lives are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic can enable policymakers to better understand the situation in their countries and make evidence-based policy decisions.

This webinar highlighted three projects that are informing government COVID-19 response strategies across health, social protection, and education in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Shana Warren and Andreas Holzinger (IPA) shared findings from the first round of the RECOVR survey in Sierra Leone—a panel survey designed to inform decision-makers about the communities that are hardest hit by the economic toll of the pandemic. Amara Kallon (Government of Sierra Leone) covered how decision-makers are using the results of the survey to continually adapt their responses to changing demands and to plan for long-term strategies. Anne Karing (Princeton University) discussed the results of a pilot study measuring effects on mobility and use of public transport, economic activity and income, and preventive health behavior among citizens, and impacts on operations, profits, and compliance with safety and hygiene regulations among bus drivers in Sierra Leone. Finally, Jonathan Robinson (University of California, Santa Cruz) presented the results from a phone survey in Liberia and Malawi measuring the direct and indirect impacts the pandemic is having on the livelihoods, income, and food security of rural households. Fatu Conteh (IPA) hosted and moderated a discussion and Q&A following the presentations.

Watch the webinar recording below:
 

Presenters

• Shana Warren, Research Scientist for Path-to-Scale Research, Innovations for Poverty Action
• Andreas Holzinger, Country Director, Liberia & Sierra Leone, Innovations for Poverty Action
• Amara Kallon, Deputy Minister of Political and Public Affairs, Sierra Leone
• Anne Karing, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Princeton University
• Jonathan Robinson, Associate Professor of Economics, University of California, Santa Cruz
• Fatu Conteh (Moderator), Policy and Research Associate, Sierra Leone, Innovations for Poverty Action