No single metaphor can capture the complexity or ramifications of the societal impact of COVID-19 pandemic. This report presents the British Academy’s review of the policy implications of COVID-19.

It is essential that public policy-making is informed by high quality research, in order to support the effectiveness of government decision-making. But the full value of humanities and social science (HSS) research has yet to be realised by policy makers, and as a result we are concerned that the government’s efforts to make its policy...