Unintended Consequences of Lockdowns: COVID-19 and the Shadow Pandemic

Saravana Ravindran and Manisha Shah ()

No 27562, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Violence against women is a problem worldwide, with economic costs ranging from 1-4% of global GDP. Using variation in the intensity of government-mandated lock-downs in India, we show that domestic violence complaints increase 0.47 SD in districts with the strictest lockdown rules. We find similarly large increases in cyber-crime complaints. However, rape and sexual assault complaints decrease 0.4 SD in districts with the strictest lockdowns, consistent with decreased female mobility in public spaces, public transport, and workplaces. Longer-term analysis shows that in-creases in domestic violence complaints persist one year later, while other complaints related to rape, sexual assault, and cybercrimes return to pre-lockdown levels.

JEL-codes: I15 I18 J12 J16 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020-07
Note: DEV EH
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (35)

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