COVID-19

The government of Italy’s COVID-19 stimulus proposal includes measures to protect migrant laborers working in some of the country’s most important industries. While this is welcome news, more is needed.

After the financial crisis of 2008, many advocates were disappointed by the unwillingness of many governments to shake up a discredited status quo. More than 10 years later, amidst another crisis, there is reason for hope.

In response to the pandemic, many scientific journals have lifted their paywalls on COVID-19-related research. The results have been positive, which raises a question: Why not do the same for research on other crises?

Despite its limited means, the government of Georgia has managed the pandemic’s fallout more successfully than many wealthier nations. A robust response from civil society groups in the country is a key reason why.

A new law proposed by parliament is not only an ominous development for civil society groups in Kyrgyzstan. It’s also a sign of how some governments may use the COVID-19 crisis to push an authoritarian agenda.

With states around the world embracing surveillance technology against COVID-19, civil society groups must step up to ensure that individual rights and anticorruption laws are not sacrificed for the sake of an easy fix.

To confront the enormous challenges raised by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Open Society Foundations are committing more than $130 million to support those who are most at risk.