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This paper analyses how inequality across counties in the United States of America has shaped the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of protests. The empirical analysis combines weekly data between January and December 2020 on levels of COVID-19-related policy stringency and protest incidence at the county level with measures of county-level inequality at the start of the pandemic. The results show that more stringent measures to contain the pandemic were instrumental in driving the incidence of protests, but only in counties with high levels of inequality before the start of the pandemic, where grievances may have been initially stronger. Further analysis suggests that the impact of government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic is largely explained by changes in economic conditions (rise in unemployment and changes in economic activities and spending) in counties with the highest levels of inequality. Unequal counties with lower trust in political institutions but higher levels of social trust and civic engagement at the start of the pandemic are also more likely to experience more protests as a response to more stringent policies.

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The use of radio and television as means to spread reproductive health awareness in Sub-Saharan Africa has been extensive, and its impacts significant. More recently, other means of communication, such as mobile phones, have received the attention of researchers and policy makers as health communication tools. However, evidence on which of the two types of communication (i.e. passive communication from TV/radio, or active communication through phones) is more effective in fostering better reproductive health choices is sparse. This study aims to identify the potential influence of TV or radio ownership as opposed to cell phone ownership on contraceptive use and access to maternal healthcare. Cross-sectional, individual analysis from eleven high-maternal mortality Sub-Saharan African countries is conducted. A total of 78,000 women in union are included in the analysis. Results indicate that ownership of TV or radio is more weakly correlated to better outcomes than mobile phone ownership is. Results are stronger for lower educated women and robust across all levels of wealth. Interestingly, the study also finds that decision-making power is a relevant mediator of cell phone ownership on contraceptive use, but not on maternal healthcare access. A key takeaway from the study is that, while the role of television and radio appears to have diminished in recent years, mobile phones have become a key tool for empowerment and behavioural change among Sub-Saharan African women. Health communication policies should be designed to take into account the now prominent role of mobile phones in affecting health behaviours.

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UNSTRUCTURED This study investigates the role of mobile phone connectivity on HIV testing in sub-Saharan Africa. We make use of the novel and comprehensive OpencellID cell tower database, and DHS geocoded information for over 400,000 women in 28 Sub-Saharan African countries. We examine whether women’s community distance from the closest cell-tower influences knowledge about HIV testing facilities and the likelihood of ever been tested for HIV. After finding a negative and significant impact of distance on our main outcomes, we investigate the mechanisms through which such effects might occur. Our analysis shows that proximity to a cell tower increases HIV-related knowledge as well as reproductive health knowledge. Similar results are observed when the analysis is performed at community level. Results suggest that the effect of mobile phone connectivity is channelled through increased knowledge of HIV, STIs, and modern contraceptive methods. Further analysis shows that cell phone ownership has an even larger impact on HIV testing and knowledge. This paper adds to recent literature on the impact of mobile-based HIV prevention schemes by showing through large-scale analysis that better mobile network access is a powerful tool to spread reproductive health knowledge and increase HIV awareness.