Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/283826 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Series/Report no.: 
WIDER Working Paper No. 2023/130
Publisher: 
The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), Helsinki
Abstract: 
We examine the distributional effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated tax-benefit measures in seven sub-Saharan African countries, focusing on the onset of the crisis. We evaluate impacts on disposable incomes, considering variations across income groups; assess the effectiveness of tax-benefit policies in mitigating income losses; and analyse the influence of these measures on income-based poverty and inequality. We find notable reductions in disposable incomes, concentrated among higher-income households, and moderate increases in headcount poverty rates and poverty gaps. The study highlights the low effectiveness of pre-existing tax-benefit policies, with coverage gaps for the informal sector and a lack of income-dependent means-tested benefits. Discretionary taxbenefit policies in Mozambique and Zambia cushioned the shock for low-income households to a small extent. Conversely, school closures in Ethiopia and Ghana suppressed the provision of school meals, adding strain to households with school-age children.
Subjects: 
COVID-19
income distribution
poverty
inequality
Africa
JEL: 
D31
E24
H24
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
ISBN: 
978-92-9267-438-0
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.