In this paper, we examine the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the livelihoods of the poor. We use an unusually rich data set from a 'financial diaries' study known as the Hrishipara Daily Diaries Project. The data set tracks the economic and financial transactions of 60 individuals...

We study the lasting repercussions of the 1918 influenza (‘Spanish Flu’) pandemic on healthmeasures and literacy rates in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the most populous city in South Americatoday, but significantly poorer a century ago. Leveraging temporal and spatial variation indistrict-level...

Malaria still claims a heavy human and economic toll, specifically in sub-Saharan Africa. Even though the causality between malaria and poverty is presumably bi-directional, malaria plays a role in the economic difficulties of the region. This article provides an analysis of the economic...

Epidemics can worsen social inequality by increasing gender gaps in educational attainment through raising the direct and opportunity costs of investing in girls, particularly in poorer countries. We investigate this hypothesis by examining the effects of sudden exposure to the 1986 meningitis...

Partnering with a major telecommunications company, we field communication interventions that provide mobile calling credits to a nationally representative set of low-income adults in Ghana during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals’ inability to make unexpected calls, the need to borrow SOS...

We analyze the repercussions of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic on demographic measures, human capital, and productivity markers in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the most populous city in South America today. Leveraging temporal and spatial variation in district-level estimates of influenza-related deaths for...

Mental health disorders account for a significant share of the overall global disease burden. The economic losses from such disorders are staggeringly large, particularly in low-income countries, where people are faced with several unexpected shocks. We test whether improved communication can...

Epidemics are on the rise, yet the social disruption they engender is not well understood. This paper provides causal evidence of the impact of a rapidly spreading epidemic on civil violence and sheds light on its drivers. New data at high spatial and temporal resolution of the Ebola outbreak in...

This paper presents the results of a quasi-experimental study using information collected through a survey conducted in peri-urban areas of Metropolitan Lima between October and November 2021. The survey was applied to households residing close to and on both sides of the geographic boundary of...

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of COVID-19 on the tourism sector of India. India is a tourist euphoria. Tourism in India has noteworthy potential seeing the rich cultural and historical heritage, variety of ecology, terrains and places of natural beauty spread crossways the...