Falling living standards during the COVID-19 crisis: Quantitative evidence from nine developing countries

Dennis Egger; Edward Miguel; Shana S. Warren; Ashish Shenoy; Elliott Collins; Dean Karlan; Doug Parkerson; A.M. Mobarak; Günther Fink; Christopher Udry; Michael Walker; Johannes Haushofer; Magdalena Larreboure; Susan Athey; Paula Lopez-Pena; Salim Benhachmi; Macartan Humphreys; Layna Lowe; Niccoló F. Meriggi; Andrew Wabwire; C.A. Davis; Utz Johann Pape; Tilman Graff; Maarten Voors; Carolyn Nekesa; Corey Vernot

doi:10.1126/sciadv.abe0997

Falling living standards during the COVID-19 crisis: Quantitative evidence from nine developing countries

Dennis Egger, Edward Miguel, Shana S. Warren, Ashish Shenoy, Elliott Collins, Dean Karlan, Doug Parkerson, A.M. Mobarak^*, Günther Fink, Christopher Udry, Michael Walker, Johannes Haushofer, Magdalena Larreboure, Susan Athey, Paula Lopez-Pena, Salim Benhachmi, Macartan Humphreys, Layna Lowe, Niccoló F. Meriggi, Andrew WabwireC.A. Davis, Utz Johann Pape, Tilman Graff, Maarten Voors, Carolyn Nekesa, Corey Vernot

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

285 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Despite numerous journalistic accounts, systematic quantitative evidence on economic conditions during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic remains scarce for most low- and middle-income countries, partly due to limitations of official economic statistics in environments with large informal sectors and subsistence agriculture. We assemble evidence from over 30,000 respondents in 16 original household surveys from nine countries in Africa (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Sierra Leone), Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, Philippines), and Latin America (Colombia). We document declines in employment and income in all settings beginning March 2020. The share of households experiencing an income drop ranges from 8 to 87% (median, 68%). Household coping strategies and government assistance were insufficient to sustain precrisis living standards, resulting in widespread food insecurity and dire economic conditions even 3 months into the crisis. We discuss promising policy responses and speculate about the risk of persistent adverse effects, especially among children and other vulnerable groups.

Original language	English
Article number	eabe0997
Pages (from-to)	1-13
Number of pages	13
Journal	Science Advances
Volume	7
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abe0997
Publication status	Published - 5 Feb 2021

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Replication Data for: Falling Living Standards during the COVID-19 Crisis: Quantitative Evidence from Nine Developing Countries
Egger, D. (Creator), Miguel, E. (Creator), Warren, S. S. (Creator), Shenoy, A. (Creator), Collins, E. (Creator), Karlan, D. (Creator), Parkerson, D. (Creator), Mobarak, A. M. (Creator), Fink, G. (Creator), Udry, C. (Creator), Walker, M. (Creator), Haushofer, J. (Creator), Larreboure, M. (Creator), Athey, S. (Creator), Lopez-Pena, P. (Creator), Benhachmi, S. (Creator), Humphreys, M. (Creator), Lowe, L. (Creator), Meriggi, N. F. (Creator), Wabwire, A. (Creator), Davis, C. A. (Creator), Pape, U. J. (Creator), Graff, T. (Creator), Voors, M. (Creator), Nekesa, C. (Creator) & Vernot, C. (Creator), University of California, 25 Jan 2021
DOI: 10.7910/DVN/SBUFNN
Dataset

Cite this

Egger, D., Miguel, E., Warren, S. S., Shenoy, A., Collins, E., Karlan, D., Parkerson, D., Mobarak, A. M., Fink, G., Udry, C., Walker, M., Haushofer, J., Larreboure, M., Athey, S., Lopez-Pena, P., Benhachmi, S., Humphreys, M., Lowe, L., Meriggi, N. F., ... Vernot, C. (2021). Falling living standards during the COVID-19 crisis: Quantitative evidence from nine developing countries. Science Advances, 7(6), 1-13. Article eabe0997. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abe0997

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title = "Falling living standards during the COVID-19 crisis: Quantitative evidence from nine developing countries",

abstract = "Despite numerous journalistic accounts, systematic quantitative evidence on economic conditions during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic remains scarce for most low- and middle-income countries, partly due to limitations of official economic statistics in environments with large informal sectors and subsistence agriculture. We assemble evidence from over 30,000 respondents in 16 original household surveys from nine countries in Africa (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Sierra Leone), Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, Philippines), and Latin America (Colombia). We document declines in employment and income in all settings beginning March 2020. The share of households experiencing an income drop ranges from 8 to 87% (median, 68%). Household coping strategies and government assistance were insufficient to sustain precrisis living standards, resulting in widespread food insecurity and dire economic conditions even 3 months into the crisis. We discuss promising policy responses and speculate about the risk of persistent adverse effects, especially among children and other vulnerable groups.",

author = "Dennis Egger and Edward Miguel and Warren, {Shana S.} and Ashish Shenoy and Elliott Collins and Dean Karlan and Doug Parkerson and A.M. Mobarak and G{\"u}nther Fink and Christopher Udry and Michael Walker and Johannes Haushofer and Magdalena Larreboure and Susan Athey and Paula Lopez-Pena and Salim Benhachmi and Macartan Humphreys and Layna Lowe and Meriggi, {Niccol{\'o} F.} and Andrew Wabwire and C.A. Davis and Pape, {Utz Johann} and Tilman Graff and Maarten Voors and Carolyn Nekesa and Corey Vernot",

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Egger, D, Miguel, E, Warren, SS, Shenoy, A, Collins, E, Karlan, D, Parkerson, D, Mobarak, AM, Fink, G, Udry, C, Walker, M, Haushofer, J, Larreboure, M, Athey, S, Lopez-Pena, P, Benhachmi, S, Humphreys, M, Lowe, L, Meriggi, NF, Wabwire, A, Davis, CA, Pape, UJ, Graff, T, Voors, M, Nekesa, C & Vernot, C 2021, 'Falling living standards during the COVID-19 crisis: Quantitative evidence from nine developing countries', Science Advances, vol. 7, no. 6, eabe0997, pp. 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abe0997

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AU - Egger, Dennis

AU - Miguel, Edward

AU - Warren, Shana S.

AU - Shenoy, Ashish

AU - Collins, Elliott

AU - Karlan, Dean

AU - Parkerson, Doug

AU - Mobarak, A.M.

AU - Fink, Günther

AU - Udry, Christopher

AU - Walker, Michael

AU - Haushofer, Johannes

AU - Larreboure, Magdalena

AU - Athey, Susan

AU - Lopez-Pena, Paula

AU - Benhachmi, Salim

AU - Humphreys, Macartan

AU - Lowe, Layna

AU - Meriggi, Niccoló F.

AU - Wabwire, Andrew

AU - Davis, C.A.

AU - Pape, Utz Johann

AU - Graff, Tilman

AU - Voors, Maarten

AU - Nekesa, Carolyn

AU - Vernot, Corey

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N2 - Despite numerous journalistic accounts, systematic quantitative evidence on economic conditions during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic remains scarce for most low- and middle-income countries, partly due to limitations of official economic statistics in environments with large informal sectors and subsistence agriculture. We assemble evidence from over 30,000 respondents in 16 original household surveys from nine countries in Africa (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Sierra Leone), Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, Philippines), and Latin America (Colombia). We document declines in employment and income in all settings beginning March 2020. The share of households experiencing an income drop ranges from 8 to 87% (median, 68%). Household coping strategies and government assistance were insufficient to sustain precrisis living standards, resulting in widespread food insecurity and dire economic conditions even 3 months into the crisis. We discuss promising policy responses and speculate about the risk of persistent adverse effects, especially among children and other vulnerable groups.

AB - Despite numerous journalistic accounts, systematic quantitative evidence on economic conditions during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic remains scarce for most low- and middle-income countries, partly due to limitations of official economic statistics in environments with large informal sectors and subsistence agriculture. We assemble evidence from over 30,000 respondents in 16 original household surveys from nine countries in Africa (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Sierra Leone), Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, Philippines), and Latin America (Colombia). We document declines in employment and income in all settings beginning March 2020. The share of households experiencing an income drop ranges from 8 to 87% (median, 68%). Household coping strategies and government assistance were insufficient to sustain precrisis living standards, resulting in widespread food insecurity and dire economic conditions even 3 months into the crisis. We discuss promising policy responses and speculate about the risk of persistent adverse effects, especially among children and other vulnerable groups.

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JO - Science Advances

JF - Science Advances

IS - 6

M1 - eabe0997

ER -

Falling living standards during the COVID-19 crisis: Quantitative evidence from nine developing countries

Abstract

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Replication Data for: Falling Living Standards during the COVID-19 Crisis: Quantitative Evidence from Nine Developing Countries

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