Tracking the economic consequences and response to COVID-19 in Sierra Leone
Researchers
Wilson Prichard
Researcher, International Centre for Tax and Development (ICTD)
Maarten Voors
Associate Professor, Wageningen University
Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak
Professor of Economics, Yale University
Peter van der Windt
Assistant Professor, New York UniversityAbou Bakarr Kamara
Senior Country Economist, Sierra Leone, International Growth Centre
Niccolò Meriggi
Country Economist, Sierra Leone, International Growth CentreThis project implements a phone survey to capture the economic impact of COVID-19 and policy responses in Sierra Leone.
The objectives of the survey are:
- To get a quick assessment of the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 crisis in Sierra Leone.
- To track the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 crisis over the next 6 months
- To possibly evaluate the effectiveness of different interventions on the population that is part of our sample – if able to coordinate with implementers and develop a sound identification strategy.
As part of the methodology the researchers are:
- Selecting respondents using stratified sampling to assure respondents are representative of the population, conducting heterogeneity analysis across the different strata of the population (e.g. wage workers VS business owner VS self-employed labour, as well as looking at age and gender aspects).
- Sampling respondents from participants of recently undertaken studies. We will sample 4,500 respondents from over 190 locations across Sierra Leone, and 2,000 people from the capital Freetown. This includes data compiled before shocks caused by COVID-19. This can help provide an accurate picture of the economic and social indicators before the crisis.
- Building a panel by interviewing respondents at regular intervals.
The set of indicators being collected have been identified as relevant for informing the government of Sierra Leone’s Quick Action Economic Response Programme (QAERP), and includes the availability and price of essential commodities such as rice, cassava, gari, bonga fish, and palm oil, as well as other commodities.
Data will be updated regularly and the team will produce weekly bulletins to share with key stakeholders. In addition, the researchers have also produced a dashboard where we will be uploading de-identified data that people can use open access.
The survey in its pilot phase. The researchers welcome feedback on the survey and discussions on potential partnerships. The dashboard can be found here.
