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Africa's lockdown dilemma: High poverty and low trust

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Listed:
  • Eva-Maria Egger
  • Sam Jones
  • Patricia Justino
  • Ivan Manhique
  • Ricardo Santos

Abstract

The primary policy response to suppress the spread of COVID-19 in high-income countries has been to lock down large sections of the population. However, there is growing unease that blindly replicating these policies might inflict irreparable damage to poor households and foment social unrest in developing countries. We investigate this concern using Afrobarometer data from 2019 for 30 sub-Saharan African countries. We create a multidimensional index of lockdown readiness based on living conditions and explore its relationship with forms of trust and the potential for social unrest.

Suggested Citation

  • Eva-Maria Egger & Sam Jones & Patricia Justino & Ivan Manhique & Ricardo Santos, 2020. "Africa's lockdown dilemma: High poverty and low trust," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2020-76, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2020-76
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    As found on the RePEc Biblio, the curated bibliography for Economics:
    1. > Economics of Welfare > Health Economics > Economics of Pandemics > Specific pandemics > Covid-19 > Behavioral issues > Trust
    2. > Economics of Welfare > Health Economics > Economics of Pandemics > Specific pandemics > Covid-19 > Developing economies

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    Cited by:

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    2. Robert Fatton, 2021. "The Paradoxes of the Pandemic and World Inequalities," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-22, September.
    3. repec:idq:ictduk:16468 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Tondl, Gabriele, 2021. "Development in the Global South at risk: Economic and social effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in developing countries," Working Papers 65, Austrian Foundation for Development Research (ÖFSE).
    5. Rosario Betho & Marcia Chelengo & Sam Jones & Michael Keller & Ibraimo Hassane Mussagy & Dirk van Seventer & Finn Tarp, 2022. "The macroeconomic impact of COVID‐19 in Mozambique: A social accounting matrix approach," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(4), pages 823-860, May.
    6. Giulia Mascagni & Adrienne Lees, 2023. "The Economic Impact of the Pandemic in Rwanda: An Analysis of Firm-Level VAT Data," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 32(3), pages 209-236.
    7. M. O. Oleche & D. K. Manda & R. G. Mutegi & S. Kipruto & M. K. Muriithi & P. Samoei & A. W. Ndirangu & G. Mwabu, 2023. "The gendered impacts of COVID-19 and business closure due to lockdown on wage employment in Kenya," Journal of Economic Policy and Management Issues, JEPMI, vol. 2(2), pages 31-48.
    8. Mawuna Donald Houessou & Annemijn Cassee & Ben G. J. S. Sonneveld, 2021. "The Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Food Security in Rural and Urban Settlements in Benin: Do Allotment Gardens Soften the Blow?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-18, June.
    9. Wim Naudé & Ricardo Vinuesa, 2020. "Data, global development, and COVID-19: Lessons and consequences," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2020-109, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

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    Keywords

    COVID-19; Lockdown; Poverty; Social unrest; Sub-Saharan Africa; Trust;
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