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Showing all Blog Posts in Covid 19
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Blog post
Which jobs were ‘lost’ during India’s COVID-19 lockdowns? Evidence from online vacancy postings
COVID-19 and associated lockdowns across countries have had a devastating impact on the global economy and labour markets. In India, data show a historic economic contraction by 23.9% over the last quarter. Using real-time 2020 data from a large online job portal, this article finds that hiring activity (in mostly urban, formal-sector jobs) declined dramatically due to the...
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Has Uganda recovered from the COVID-19 lockdowns?
The economic effects of the pandemic were rapid and difficult for policymakers to respond to. Moreover, conventional economic indicators require longer time periods for efficacy. In our study, we utilised electricity consumption as an indicator for economic activity during and after the pandemic in Uganda, and find a decline in electricity consumption during...
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How COVID-19 affected women and children: Evidence from Bangladesh
The COVID-19 pandemic swept through the world, disrupting people and economies. Bangladesh was especially susceptible to the negative economic impacts of the pandemic because of its strong ties to the global economy. These negative demand shocks persisted throughout and after the pandemic. To explore the effects of the pandemic on women and children in vulnerable...
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How food prices changed during COVID-19: Evidence from Kenya and Uganda
COVID-19 induced a combination of supply and demand shocks, impacting price dynamics. We used real-time price data to track price dynamics between the lockdown and reopening phases in Kenya and Uganda. Results suggest that prices for essential food items were higher during the initial phase of lockdown, but changes in mobility patterns affected prices beyond the shutdown...
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Trade, informality, and corruption: Evidence from small-scale traders in Kenya
The COVID-19 pandemic has induced vast trade disruptions that have stunted firms’ sales, profits, and growth, particularly for small-scale traders. While many formal borders closed, small-scale traders crossing official borders must increasingly rely on informal border crossings to make a living. In Kenya, we surveyed small-scale traders to analyse their cross-border...
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Increasing COVID-19 vaccine acceptance: Evidence from Mozambique
The COVID-19 pandemic has heavily impacted low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with widespread food insecurity and falling living standards. To fully recover, countries will need not only an effective rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations, but also significant public trust and acceptance to ensure that they are taken up. In Mozambique, we conducted a study on how the...
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Timeliness and coverage of child vaccinations across India
Despite free vaccinations for children below 12 years of age under the Universal Immunisation Programme, one-third of global child deaths due to vaccine-preventable diseases occur in India. In this article, Debnath and Chaudhuri use nationally representative data from 2005-06 and 2015-16, to examine the timeliness and coverage of routine immunisation in the country....
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The growing concerns around vaccine hesitancy in India
Vaccine hesitancy will prolong the return to normalcy, and abysmal figures such as a mere 10% having been fully vaccinated in India by early August of this year, are a wakeup call for policymakers and healthcare administrators. Health workers face stiff resistance from people who believe that vaccines cause impotence, lack of trust in vaccine efficacy, serious side...
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Can consumer incentive schemes enhance VAT revenue collections in developing countries?
There has been a resurgence in the adoption of consumer incentive schemes within the realm of revenue collection in recent years, due in part to technological advancement, digitisation of records, and the rise in digital payment platforms such as mobile money. These schemes can help address evasive practices that some retail firms currently engage in. Their success however,...
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How COVID-19 lockdowns and car-free days affected air pollution in Rwanda’s capital
Rising levels of vehicle traffic, industrial activity and urban sprawl are contributing to rising levels of air pollution across the global South. This is particularly the case in cities where urbanisation is progressing fastest. In Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, the population has surged from less than 500,000 in 2000 to more than 1 million today. It is set to increase to...