RAND Europe Focus on

COVID-19

The COVID-19 crisis has been all consuming in its disruptive effect on people’s lives, leading to widespread uncertainty over how much longer the situation may last and what the future might hold.

To help understand the wider impacts of this global crisis, RAND Europe researchers have been offering their expert opinion on how the disease could affect different sectors such as health, defence, infrastructure, education and more. Our analysts are also exploring new areas of research that could be crucial in helping us prepare for what lies ahead.

Current research

Reducing the economic fallout of COVID-19
Isolation at home and other recommendations have sought to protect populations from COVID-19, but some policies have had a high economic cost and could also put lives and health at risk. Researchers are reviewing what is known about the impact of different measures taken.

Examining COVID-19 and intimate partner violence
An increase in intimate partner violence has been a worrying consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers are working to identify promising measures for protecting and supporting women victims and their children, both during and in the aftermath of lockdown measures.

Completed research

Recent News and Commentaries

COVID-19 Brings Opportunity to Reassess Work Policies
11 Aug 2020
William Phillips, Michael Whitmore

As certain COVID-19 restrictions lift, and life for some begins to return to a “new normal,” employers may have the opportunity to rebuild work policies to better support those employees who want to continue working from home. This could produce well-being benefits for employees, without compromising on, and often increasing, productivity.
The Coronavirus Puts a Spotlight on a National Security Supply Crisis
27 Jul 2020
Stijn Hoorens @StijnHoorens

In times of national emergency, it can be crucial that governments can maintain an uninterrupted supply of essential goods and services, be it technology, food, or raw materials. As countries across the world now face an unprecedented demand on supplies and services to tackle the outbreak of COVID-19, it may be important for governments to take stock of the potential risks to national security that could accompany their choice of vendor.
COVID-19: Why Spending More Time at Home for Some Children Is Bad for Their Health
20 Jul 2020
Andreas Culora

Children in Europe are at a higher risk of poor quality and overcrowded housing when compared to the general population. Efforts to improve the quality of children's living environments could be key to mitigating the impacts of the outbreak of COVID-19 on children and their households in the coming months and years.
Small Businesses Need the Right Kind of Help to Survive COVID-19
26 Jun 2020
Joanna Hofman @JoannaBHofman

Small and medium-sized companies are less equipped than large ones to weather the devastating effects of the pandemic. What could policymakers do to help these businesses get the help they need?
What Elinor Ostrom Teaches Us About Avoiding the 'Tragedy of the Commons' in Delivering the Public Interest in the Post COVID-19 World
22 Jun 2020
Tom Ling

The public interest can be an elusive concept, especially when trying to distinguish between shared and individual interests, a problem brought into sharper focus as we try to find the right path to a post COVID-19 world. Governments are seeking to do the best for their societies with limited information. As more data is being acquired, how can public policy achieve common interest?
COVID-19 Briefing Series: Examining the Post-COVID-19 Workforce
19 Jun 2020

In this briefing, RAND's Christian van Stolk discusses how policymakers and employers can rethink and retool the workplace to support employee health and well-being and maintain productivity during the pandemic.
Long-Term Furloughs During COVID-19 Hold Risks for Employee Health and Well-Being
15 Jun 2020
Carol Black, Christian Van Stolk

Governments around the world have offered furlough schemes to try to delay employers from making any restructuring decisions during the pandemic. The aims of such programs are laudable. But they may come with unintended consequences.
Experts discuss COVID-19 and new security and defence challenges in Europe
05 Jun 2020

Questions around security and defence in Europe and the impacts of COVID-19 were addressed by RAND Europe experts in a webinar hosted by the Luiss School of Government on the 28th May 2020.
How to Harness Technologies in the Fight Against COVID-19
02 Jun 2020
Salil Gunashekar, Emily Ryen Gloinson

The pandemic is an unprecedented public health crisis. But the response from science, technology, and innovation communities has been remarkable. It proves that innovation and learning, interdisciplinary methods and collaboration, information and data sharing, and adaptability are more important than ever.
How to best enable pharma innovation beyond the COVID-19 crisis
26 May 2020
Sonja Marjanovic @SonjaCambs, Carolina Feijao

Innovating in response to public health challenges like COVID-19 does not always align well with pharmaceutical industry commercial models or shareholder expectations. More sustainable and scalable ways of incentivising innovation in response to infectious disease threats are needed.
Global Challenges to Maintaining a Healthy Workforce During a Pandemic: Views from RAND Experts
15 May 2020

As nations across the globe remain in lockdown to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, questions about the future of employment and workforce productivity emerge. During a recent webinar, RAND experts discussed how to get people back to work and improve productivity post COVID-19.
Measures to Help Domestic Abuse Victims During COVID-19 Are Welcome but Not Enough
12 May 2020
Madeline Nightingale, Joanna Hofman @JoannaBHofman, et al.

One of the most worrying and consistent trends during the COVID-19 lockdown is an increase in domestic violence. Governments are taking different approaches in how they act to stop the violence and help victims to be heard during the lockdown. Securing adequate resources for support services is vital.
Leading with the Proper Use of Scientific Evidence Is Better Than Hiding Behind It
05 May 2020
Tom Ling

Evidence only has scientific meaning when it is part of a body of disciplinary knowledge produced by a community of scientists. Leading with scientific evidence, coupled with a wider values framework, may result in better outcomes for all.
Digital Learning Needs to Benefit All Children When Schools Close
04 May 2020
Axelle Devaux @AxelleDevaux

Three factors are essential for any digital learning method. First, it must be inclusive. Second, it should support the learning experience, not replace it. And third, evidence of what works should inform digital learning interventions.
COVID-19: The Questions Ahead for Future Travel and Transport
15 Apr 2020
Charlene Rohr

COVID-19 could have lasting effects on future travel patterns. Future scenarios, a method for visualizing different possible futures, can help inform decisions in deeply uncertain situations and can be used to think about policies that are important for people's quality of life regardless of how the future unfolds.
How COVID-19 May Affect NHS Staff
15 Apr 2020
Christian Van Stolk

COVID-19 may leave a long legacy of poor health and well-being in the National Health Service workforce. This could affect quality of care and the financial performance of the system. We need to ensure that NHS organizations provide significant support for health care workers.
It Is More Important Than Ever for Employers to Look After Staff Health and Wellbeing
09 Apr 2020
Christian Van Stolk

COVID-19 will likely have a direct effect on the health and wellbeing of employees. While many employers responding to the COVID-19 crisis have understandably been concerned with business resilience, processes, and performance, it is important that they also continue to focus on the health and wellbeing of staff.
How to Contain the Disinformation Virus
09 Apr 2020
Axelle Devaux @AxelleDevaux

Like COVID-19, disinformation spreads only if we help it spread. While we have all been asked to stay at home as responsible citizens to contain the virus, we should also feel responsible for making it harder for disinformation to spread.
NHS innovation initiatives and COVID-19
06 Apr 2020

A Cambridge radio programme interviewed Sonja Marjanovic about her recent report identifying support for NHS innovation initiatives and how COVID-19 has now accelerated innovation in the healthcare system.
The Pandemic Has Sparked Innovation, Offering Lessons We Must Not Forget
01 Apr 2020
Sonja Marjanovic @SonjaCambs

COVID-19 has shocked the world and caught most countries unprepared, forcing them to improvise. But amid all the confusion and fear, the power of individuals, organizations, and communities to think differently and to innovate shows what can be achieved when people are united by common, clear priorities and necessity.