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Showing all Publications in Covid 19
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Publication - Project Report
Densification without contagion? Overcrowding and pandemic risk hotspots in Rwanda
In this paper, we estimate the location of overcrowding hotspots in Kigali and five secondary cities in Rwanda using a variant of the methodology used recently by the World Bank in Mumbai, Kinshasa and Greater Cairo. This is of interest for three key reasons. First, whilst overcrowding is an imperfect proxy for the type of close interpersonal contact that spreads...
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Publication - Policy Brief
Agro-dealer and farmer COVID-19 survey: April – June 2020
The researchers interviewed 973 crop farmers, 99 dairy farmers, and 483 agro-dealers to help assess the impacts of COVID-19 on smallholder farmers and other actors across the agricultural value chain. The researchers make several findings, including that a majority of farmers report financial distress and agro-dealers were seeing lower footfall traffic. However,...
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Publication - Policy Brief
The COVID-19 impact on Ugandan supply chains: The importance of imports
Ugandan firms do not operate in isolation: Supply chains depend on the quick supply of goods and services as inputs for productive activities. Crucially, Uganda sources these inputs both domestically as well as from foreign firms. This study first investigates the impact of COVID-19 at the outset of the pandemic on Uganda’s trade. Starting from the documented...
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Publication - Policy Brief
Informal traders and COVID-19 in Africa: An opportunity to strengthen the social contract
Government policy reactions to COVID-19, and peoples’ compliance with such measures, reveal the strength of the social contract between states and their citizens. In sub-Saharan Africa, informal traders often have a weak social contract with the state, and this has exacerbated their vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic. This brief examines the special...
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Publication - Policy Brief
Low oil prices during COVID-19 and the case for removing fuel subsidies
Global oil prices have decreased due to a fall in demand resulting from COVID-19 containment measures. This presents a timely opportunity for removing fuel subsidies, in turn lowering the knock-on impact on citizens. The revenue gained from removing fuel subsidies could provide additional resources for governments to respond with immediate interventions to address...
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Publication - Growth Brief
Do social assistance programmes reach the poor? Micro-evidence from 123 countries
Governments around the world rely on social assistance to reduce poverty, but the poorest are left behind. There has been a sharp reduction in global poverty over the past 25 years, from 36% in 1990 to 10% in 2015. Yet, 736 million people continue to live on less than USD 1.90 a day (World Bank, 2015), most of them in middle-income countries. In recent years, the largest...
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Publication - Working Paper
Tracking the economic consequences of COVID-19
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Publication - Policy Brief
How COVID-19 has affected Lagos traders: Findings from high frequency phone surveys
Traders had virtually zero revenue during Lagos State’s month-long lockdown. Since Lagos partially re-opened on 4 May 2020, most traders have returned to their markets. Sales have rebounded more than employment. Compliance with public health measures has been high. Traders closed their shops during the lockdown. Since the lockdown was eased, market regulations...
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Publication - Policy Brief
Water, sanitation, and hygiene policy in the time of COVID-19
Investing in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is a no-regret policy for developing countries in the fight against COVID-19. According to numerous studies, for every $1 invested, the return in terms of healthcare savings, reduced time off work, and increased national productivity is between $2-4 for water and $5-9 for sanitation. This is particularly true for...
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Publication - Policy Brief
Protecting lives and livelihoods during the COVID-19 pandemic by shielding elderly populations
Blanket lockdowns have proven to be unsustainable, particularly in developing countries. This brief examines how age-targeted policy measures could keep economies largely open while shielding the elderly and others with underlying health conditions. We find that in the presence of large informal sectors, limited fiscal space, and large numbers of households living...