Navigating the Crisis: How Governments Used Intelligence for Decision-making During the Pandemic

The report provides insights for policymakers and experts from examples of government use of intelligence across the world, from Taiwan and Korea to Estonia and Portugal, and makes recommendations for the future.

During this event, the research findings will be presented by the project lead Professor Sir Geoff Mulgan, followed by expert commentary from:

• Ed Humpherson – UK Director General for Regulation, Office for Statistics Regulation
• Paula Graciela Daza Narbona – who led Chile’s pandemic response as Undersecretary of Public Health and is Executive Director, Center for Public Policies in Innovation in Health (CIPS), Faculty of Government, Universidad Del Desarrollo
• Dame Juliet Gerrard – New Zealand Prime Minister’s Chief Scientific Advisor, New Zealand
• Dr Rob Orford, Chief Scientific Adviser for Health for NHS Wales.

There will be opportunities to ask questions of the research team and the panel.

The project has examined:

• How governments used multiple forms of intelligence – including data, evidence, models, tacit knowledge, foresight, and creativity – to make decisions;
• How intelligence was created, communicated, and used at regional, national, and international levels; and the capabilities, relationships, and innovations that enabled this;
• How different – sometimes competing – forms of intelligence were effectively integrated and synthesised for decision making.

The research drew on interviews with over 30 government officials and experts based in over 20 countries across the world, including two international roundtables. 

The final report will be made available to government decision makers across the world, to inform processes for intelligence use and support them with the complex challenges facing governments today.