The market-reach of pandemics: Evidence from female workers in Ethiopia’s ready-made garment industry

Christian Meyer, Morgan Hardy, Marc Witte, Gisella Kagy and Eyoual Demeke

World Development, 2021, vol. 137, issue C

Abstract: In a globalized world, pandemics transmit impacts through markets. We document employment changes, coping strategies, and welfare of garment factory workers in Ethiopia’s largest industrial park during the early stages of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic. We field a phone survey of female workers during a two month period in which cases are rapidly rising globally, but not locally. Our data suggest significant changes in employment, high levels of migration away from urban areas to rural areas if women are no longer working, and high levels of food insecurity. These findings compel a research and policy focus on documenting and mitigating the market-reach of pandemics on low-income workers at the margins.

Keywords: COVID-19; Ethiopia; Industrial Parks; Employment; Migration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D91 I12 I18 J65 O12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:137:y:2021:i:c:s0305750x20303065

DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2020.105179

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