This blog’s #PowerShifts project is now on Instagram Debt crisis update: The Economist’s table of 4 risk factors in 66 developing countries. Highest combined risk = Venezuela, Lebanon, Zambia, Bahrain, Angola. The Economic Impact of COVID-19 around the World. Excellent round up of the latest analysis from David Evans (aka the Great Summarizer) and Amina Mendez Acosta Tanzania’s gamble: ‘In contrast to

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Time to pick the overall winner in our Corona Cartoon Comp. After the first 350 votes in last Friday’s competition and Pablo Suarez’ great post on the role of humour in social change, we have clear winners in the 3 categories (Lockdown/Working From Home; Injustice and Politics; Random Funny). So now, let’s make them slug it out for Best in

Guest post by Oxfam’s Amber Parkes, Anam Parvez and Dana Stefov There’s no ‘pause’ button for care The Coronavirus is highlighting just how essential care work is to our economy, health and survival. The idea that we are in an economic ‘shutdown’ is a misnomer. Huge amounts of unpaid care work are forcing many (mainly women) to work overtime at home

Adejoke Adeboyejo is a freelance writer based in Lagos, Nigeria. She writes about healthcare, women and other development issues. Since the coronavirus pandemic began, conspiracy theories have flourished and spread like the virus itself. Some believe the virus is bioengineered, while others say the pandemic is a conspiracy of big pharmaceutical companies or a plot hatched by Bill Gates. A

Not much fun on today’s links – if that’s what you’re looking for, head to Friday’s Corona-Cartoon competition, (example, right), where voting is still going strong How to feed your family during Zimbabwe’s lockdown Lockdown must be getting to me. I’m starting to agree with Piers Morgan What’s going on in Africa? According to the FT, ‘Low Covid-19 death toll

Guest post by Ana Caistor Arendar, Head of Inequality Campaigns and Policy at Oxfam GB Over the past weeks, we’ve seen some of the richest countries in the world struggle with the effects of Covid-19 and the health and economic emergency it has brought in its wake. But at least they have the resources to cushion the blows (should they

I’ve been thinking about feedback in terms of the way Covid is playing out on the ground. Or rather, the lack of it. Lockdown interrupts/diminishes the flow of information from the ground to governments. Decision makers, be they politicians or senior officials, can’t send out researchers or underlings to find out what’s going on in the villages, cities and shanty

My essay on Covid-19 as a Critical Juncture and the Implications for Advocacy has been published by Global Policy. Huge thanks to all the people who commented on earlier drafts, including the 130 who rocked up to the Global Policy/LSE webinar – video here. My plan is now to move on to monitoring the impact and response in developing countries,

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Guest post by Yogesh Ghore and Farouk Jiwa, of the Coady International Institute For the last 60 years the Coady Institute has been working with community leaders and organisations supporting leadership and knowledge building at the grassroots level. Many of our 9,000 graduates from over 133 countries, and partners across the world, are on the frontlines in the fight against

I’m a huge fan of the work of Saskia Brechenmacher and Thomas Carothers at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who regularly contribute brilliant pieces like this one to FP2P on issues of democracy and civil society. They (along with Richard Youngs) have just published a really useful survey of the impact of Covid-19 on civil society worldwide, drawing on