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Africa's lockdown dilemma: High poverty and low trust

Author

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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    References listed on IDEAS

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    5. Alesina, Alberto & La Ferrara, Eliana, 2002. "Who trusts others?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(2), pages 207-234, August.
    6. Emmanuel Raju & Sonja Ayeb-Karlsson, 2020. "COVID-19: How do you self-isolate in a refugee camp?," International Journal of Public Health, Springer;Swiss School of Public Health (SSPH+), vol. 65(5), pages 515-517, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    RePEc Biblio mentions

    As found on the RePEc Biblio, the curated bibliography for Economics:
    1. > Economics of Welfare > Health Economics > Economics of Pandemics > Specific pandemics > Covid-19 > Developing economies
    2. > Economics of Welfare > Health Economics > Economics of Pandemics > Specific pandemics > Covid-19 > Behavioral issues > Trust

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. 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).
    2. Mascagni, Giulia & Lees, Adrienne, 2021. "Using Administrative Data to Assess the Impact of the Pandemic in Low-Income Countries: An Application with VAT Data in Rwanda," Working Papers 16468, Institute of Development Studies, International Centre for Tax and Development.
    3. 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).
    4. 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 (CSAE), vol. 32(3), pages 209-236.
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. Mascagni, Giulia & Lees, Adrienne, 2022. "The Economic Impact of the Pandemic in Rwanda: An Analysis of Firm-Level VAT Data," Working Papers 17374, Institute of Development Studies, International Centre for Tax and Development.
    8. Robert Fatton, 2021. "The Paradoxes of the Pandemic and World Inequalities," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-22, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; Lockdown; Poverty; Social unrest; Sub-Saharan Africa; Trust;
    All these keywords.

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