COVID-19, Poverty, and Social Safety Net Response in Zambia

Abstract

The Policy Research Working Paper Series disseminates the findings of work in progress to encourage the exchange of ideas about development issues. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentations are less than fully polished. The papers carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of the World Bank or the governments they represent.

Malawi COVID-19 Urban Cash Intervention Process Evaluation Report

“…The slightly pessimistic findings can be attributed to the fact that the surveys were conducted over the first three months of the pandemic, April-June 2020, well before the bulk of social assistance and cash transfers were implemented globally. Paul et al (2021) undertakes a microsimulation of the potential impact of a fully financed Social Cash Transfer (SCT) Program 2 in Zambia. Due to historic debt issues, the SCT program was only partially financed, i.e., a sizeable number of SCT beneficiaries would not receive their regular transfers.…”

Trends in maternal mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic–evidence from Zambia

“…Companies closed which led to layoffs of many domestic workers. Lack of strong social protection measures compromised the already impoverished household economies [16][17][18], resulting in even more severe poverty, high food insecurity, housing instability and limited access to healthcare [19,20]. Two recent studies evaluated women's mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Zambia.…”