Data for Policymaking in the Pandemic Period: The Bangladesh Experience

In response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Bangladesh, various government entities have undertaken several data-driven initiatives amid persisting challenges in the data ecosystem. Documenting the new and innovative initiatives and the lessons learnt from the experience during the pandemic could benefit the data ecosystem from the perspective of development strategy in a developing country in the longer term. Against this backdrop, the current study attempts to i) understand the process of generating basic statistics in view of COVID-19, ii) assess how far these statistics are translated into policy responses by the government and apprehend how data gaps have posed challenges in terms of policy actions, and iii) identify the best practices from global and national experience for replication and adaptation in future policymaking. The study primarily focuses on health-related data initiatives in Bangladesh taken in view of COVID-and public policy interventions and mainstream economic data during the pandemic. The study emphasises that the real-time data generation system developed within the health sector can be scaled up both vertically and horizontally. However, sustainability of the data initiatives will require substantial resources – in terms of finance, human capital and technology. The present study will offer some lessons for the international community and future policymaking in Bangladesh. Adopting these is likely to pave the way for an efficient and sustainable data ecosystem in Bangladesh.