<p>Micro, small, and medium enterprises are being severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.As a response to the severe economic implications of this crisis, state and federal governments around the world are enacting relief programs to aid small firms, which include special credit lines, forgivable loans, and job retention schemes.This project combines a longitudinal survey and an experiment design to, on one side, document how small businesses have been impacted and generate evidence about the role of information frictions in their utilization of government assistance.</p>

<p>This&nbsp;survey aims to gather information on a representative sample of 1,000 respondents to understand how they are affected by the COVID-19 crisis, how well they follow mitigation measures, their perception of the crisis and government action and impact on children's education.The panel of respondents will be followed every month during the time of the crisis. Alexis Le Nestour, Samba Mbaye, Justin Sandefur,&nbsp;Laura Moscoviz A policy report for the government on the impact of COVID-19&nbsp;and attitudes of the population towards the pandemic.</p>

<p>The COVID-19 pandemic threatens lives and livelihoods, and, with that, has created immediate challenges for institutions that serve affected communities.This study focuses on implications for local microfinance institutions in Pakistan, a country with a mature microfinance sector, serving a large number of households.The institutions serve populations poorly-served by traditional commercial banks, helping customers invest in microenterprises, save, and maintain liquidity.Researchers&nbsp;report results from ‘rapid response’ phone surveys of about 1,000 microenterprise owners, a survey of about 200 microfinance loan officers, and interviews with regulators and senior representatives of microfinance institutions.</p>