In our study, we utilise data from two household budget surveys conducted in Mozambique in 2019/20 and in 2022. Our aim is to assess the differentiated impact of Covid-19 on household welfare in this period. To establish a baseline, we use data from the first quarter of the 2019/20 survey, which was unaffected by the pandemic. Considering the varying exposure to Covid-19, we also investigate the distinct dynamics that unfolded across different regions and areas within the country. Employing an inverse probability weighted regression adjustment approach, we compare welfare metrics during different pandemic phases. Our findings reveal that, at national level, consumption levels and poverty rates worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic compared to the pre-Covid-19 period, partially recovering at the end of the pandemic. However, the national dynamics hide strongly diverging trends between, on the one hand, rural areas and the northern region, where consumption and poverty improved in 2022, even with respect to pre-Covid-19, and, on the other hand, urban areas and the southern region, where consumption and poverty were strongly affected during the initial phases of the pandemic but did not recover by 2022, instead worsening after the final and most challenging stages of Covid-19. Remarkably, Mozambique stands out as possibly the only developing country in sub-Saharan Africa with genuine, in-person survey data spanning the entire duration of the pandemic, including the pre- and post-pandemic phases. Our analysis contributes valuable insights into the short- and medium-term welfare implications of Covid-19 in a low-income context. Given the government's limited fiscal capacity to mitigate pandemic-related negative effects and the country’s underdeveloped social protection policies, we emphasise the critical need for Mozambique to create stronger response mechanisms to temporary and geographically diversified shocks.
Assessing welfare in developing countries before, during, and after Covid-19 using actual household data: The case of Mozambique / Salvucci, Vincenzo; Tarp, Finn. - (2024). [10.55158/DEEPWP24]
Assessing welfare in developing countries before, during, and after Covid-19 using actual household data: The case of Mozambique
Vincenzo Salvucci;
2024
Abstract
In our study, we utilise data from two household budget surveys conducted in Mozambique in 2019/20 and in 2022. Our aim is to assess the differentiated impact of Covid-19 on household welfare in this period. To establish a baseline, we use data from the first quarter of the 2019/20 survey, which was unaffected by the pandemic. Considering the varying exposure to Covid-19, we also investigate the distinct dynamics that unfolded across different regions and areas within the country. Employing an inverse probability weighted regression adjustment approach, we compare welfare metrics during different pandemic phases. Our findings reveal that, at national level, consumption levels and poverty rates worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic compared to the pre-Covid-19 period, partially recovering at the end of the pandemic. However, the national dynamics hide strongly diverging trends between, on the one hand, rural areas and the northern region, where consumption and poverty improved in 2022, even with respect to pre-Covid-19, and, on the other hand, urban areas and the southern region, where consumption and poverty were strongly affected during the initial phases of the pandemic but did not recover by 2022, instead worsening after the final and most challenging stages of Covid-19. Remarkably, Mozambique stands out as possibly the only developing country in sub-Saharan Africa with genuine, in-person survey data spanning the entire duration of the pandemic, including the pre- and post-pandemic phases. Our analysis contributes valuable insights into the short- and medium-term welfare implications of Covid-19 in a low-income context. Given the government's limited fiscal capacity to mitigate pandemic-related negative effects and the country’s underdeveloped social protection policies, we emphasise the critical need for Mozambique to create stronger response mechanisms to temporary and geographically diversified shocks.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
