This paper is part of a series: ‘Social protection response to Covid-19 and beyond: lessons learned for adaptive social protection’.

This working paper examines trends in overseas development assistance (ODA), overall and for the social protection sector, with a focus on developments since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis. It discusses implications for both short-term crisis response and recovery, and the financial sustainability and strengthening of social protection systems in the longer term.

In particular, it asks: what do we know about the role ODA has played in the social protection sector since the onset of the crisis; how well has ODA performed in enabling the timeliness and adequacy of response; what factors enabled or hindered effective ODA support to social protection response; and what are the emerging issues, trade-offs and lessons for the financing of social protection crisis response and broader ‘routine’ social protection system-building from the international financing perspective?

This research project examines social protection measures adopted since the onset of the Covid-19 crisis, with the aims of promoting policy learning and helping ensure countries are better equipped with inclusive, adaptive and sustainable social protection systems moving forward. Read the additional papers in the series here.

Paper by the Overseas Development Institute