Researchers

Edward Miguel, Joan Hamory Hicks, Michael Walker

Abstract

COVID-19 is causing major health and economic challenges for low-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The Kenya Life Panel Survey (KLPS) is uniquely situated to address numerous key questions about the effects of the pandemic. The KLPS is a 20-year longitudinal survey on health, educational, nutritional, demographic, social, and labor market outcomes among a sample of thousands of Kenyans who were participants in one or more randomized health, skills training, and financial capital interventions during childhood and adolescence, and collects intergenerational data on their children. Researchers are adding a phone survey round to KLPS to track COVID-19 exposure, knowledge and coping mechanisms (including migration);  measure downstream long-term effects of adolescent interventions on responses; and determine how crisis experiences affect subsequent outcomes for adults and children. Researchers are estimating effects using the original experiments, and spatial and temporal variation in survey timing and COVID-19 intensity and policies across Kenya.

Funding for this project was provided by the UK Department for International Development, awarded through IPA's Peace & Recovery Program.

Project Outcomes of Interest

Migration and travel patterns; number of in-person contacts; economic effects, including earnings, business closure/job loss, interhousehold transfers, consumption and food security; physical and mental health (Including COVID-19 symptoms); child learning opportunities; knowledge of COVID-19 mitigation strategies; access to health care services; select social and political attitudes

Partners

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Impact Goals

Project Data Collection Mode

Link to Pre-Registration

https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/1191

Link to Public Data

https://www.kenyacovidtracker.org/klps_public.html

Results Status

No Results Yet