Miscellaneous Knowledge Notes

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https://hdl.handle.net/10986/9388

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GeneXpert Machines in Vietnam: Applying an Optimization Model to Improve Use of Diagnostic Equipment to Fight Infectious Diseases
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2023-08-23) Bathanti, Jacob; Salazar, Elizabeth
Many governments struggle with how to efficiently, effectively, and equitably allocate medical supplies and equipment. Medical supplies and equipment can be expensive and prone to mismatches in use, context, and the level of expertise needed to operate them. Optimizing allocation is particularly important considering resource scarcity in many developing countries. Therefore, generating evidence to inform efficient, effective, and equitable allocation of medical supplies and equipment to maximize the benefits of scarce and often in-demand resources is crucial for improving medical care around the world. This case study examines how the World Bank financed Investing and Innovating for Grassroots Health Service Delivery project used optimization analysis to determine the best allocation of TB diagnosis machines. Identifying and combining relevant datasets and applying these within a well-defined algorithm, with the agreement of key stakeholders, enabled the national and provincial governments of Vietnam to determine where machines could be placed for maximum impact to enable and promote efficient use of expensive medical equipment.
COVID-19 in South Asia: An Unequal Shock, An Uncertain Recovery - Findings on Labor Market Impacts from Round 1 of the SAR COVID Phone Monitoring Surveys
(Washington, DC, 2022-04) World Bank
All countries across South Asia, faced with the rising risks of COVID-19 infection rates, implemented severe economic lockdowns in early 2020 with varying frequencies and time periods. While the exact nature and duration of these lockdowns varied across countries in the South Asia Region (SAR), almost all SAR countries imposed their first economic lockdown in late March 2020 in response to the growing health threat of COVID-19 infections. In India, for instance, the national lockdown was first introduced in late March 2020, which coincided with the imposition of similar lockdowns in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, followed by a national lockdown in Pakistan on April 1, 2020. By April 17, 2020, the population of all SAR countries was under severe lockdown with varying rules and conditions based on national or local directives. The introduction of these lockdowns led to a drastic, abrupt disruption in all forms of physical mobility and economic activities. Trends from the Google COVID-19 Community Mobility data reveal this sharp drop in day-to-day mobility related to four different types of economic activity across 6 out of 8 SAR countries for which this data was available. Figure 1 plots the daily change in the Google Mobility index, which is constructed by taking an equally weighted mean across the four dimensions of economic activity for the five weeks before March 2020. In the six SAR countries, the average mobility remained approximately, on average, 58 percent below their respective pre-COVID levels during the first week of the lockdown. For example, in Nepal, where the lockdown was first introduced on March 24, 2020, mobility (as measured by the Google Mobility index) was 66 percent below pre-COVID levels on the first day of the lockdown; and it remained, on average, 71.5 percent below per-COVID levels between March 24, 2020, and March 30, 2020. We observe a similar pattern of immediate and large disruptions in mobility in all SAR countries, except in Afghanistan (22.5 percent below pre-COVID levels), where restrictions were more localized. The Google Mobility index closely follows these changes in rules and conditions in SAR countries, which varied over time within each country as well as across countries. In countries like Nepal, India, and Sri Lanka, with an extended period of restrictions imposed through national or local directives at different points in time, mobility had not returned to pre-COVID levels even as late as April 2021. In Nepal and Sri Lanka, where the second lockdown was introduced in August and November 2020, respectively, we observe a sharp drop again in mobility after a gradual recovery following the easing of the first lockdown. In other SAR countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, mobility only returned to pre-COVID levels between September and October 2020. These results underscore the dramatic and prolonged impact that COVID-19 induced lockdowns have had on mobility and economic activity, which is perhaps unprecedented in the region, at least in recent history4. These lockdowns are likely to have important implications on various socio-economic dimensions of welfare, including labor market outcomes, both immediately and in the medium, to long-term. More importantly, the long-term impacts will also be determined by the nature and the pace of recovery observed in these countries in the months and years after the initial phase of lockdown. Moreover, the emergence of new mutants leaves open the possibility of future lockdowns as a policy response to mitigate the health effects of the virus, which could impact economic activity and reverse observed recoveries.
Women’s Employment and Safety Perceptions: Evidence from Low-income Neighborhoods of Dhaka, Bangladesh
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-08) Ahmed, Tanima; Kotikula, Aphichoke
This brief uses the 2018 Dhaka Low-Income Area Gender, Inclusion, and Poverty (DIGNITY) survey to assess the gender gap in safety perceptions and analyze the correlation between women’s safety perception and their labor market outcomes. The analysis shows that women are significantly less likely than men to feel safe in the low-income neighborhoods of Dhaka. While the percentage of women who reported feeling safe increased with age, living standard, and the availability of streetlights, the percentage of women who reported feeling safe decreased with education and concern of eviction. The analysis further shows that this gender gap in safety perception disproportionately hurt women’s labor market outcomes. Women who feel safe are much more likely to be economically active, work outside their neighborhoods, and explore economic opportunities.
Cox’s Bazar Panel Survey, Rapid Follow-up Round 2: Status of Education Among School-Aged Children in Cox’s Bazar
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-06) World Bank
This brief summarizes findings from rapid welfare tracking surveys in Cox’s Bazar. Two rounds of tracking surveys were implemented via phone interviews in 2020 to monitor the impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis on labor markets, wages, and household coping strategies. The first round was conducted during the COVID-related lockdowns in April-May 2020. A second round was conducted from October-December 2020, roughly six months after the government-imposed lockdowns, and also included a short module on education. Within the host community, the survey was further stratified into high exposure (HE, within three hours walking distance of a Rohingya camp) and low exposure (LE, more than three hours walking distance from a Rohingya camp) areas within the district.
Results from a COVID-19 Rapid Phone Survey in Sri Lanka
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-06) Kim, Yeon Soo; de Silva, Tiloka
This brief presents the main findings from a rapid phone survey conducted by the World Bank across eight South Asian countries. The primary aim of the survey was to understand changes in the labor market among different groups. Additional questions were included on households’ ability to meet basic needs, safety nets, and coping mechanisms. In Sri Lanka, the survey was implemented between September and December 2020, and therefore helps assess the short-term impact of the COVID-19 crisis.
Cox’s Bazar Panel Survey, Rapid Follow-up Round 2: Impacts of COVID-19 on Food Security in Cox’s Bazar - Consumption, Coping and Assistance
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-06) World Bank
This brief summarizes findings from rapid welfare tracking surveys in Cox’s Bazar. Two rounds of tracking surveys were implemented via phone interviews in 2020 to monitor the impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis on labor markets, wages, and household coping strategies. The first round was conducted during the COVID-related lockdowns in April-May 2020. A second round was conducted from October-December 2020, roughly six months after the government-imposed lockdowns, and also included a short module on education. Within the host community, the survey was further stratified into high exposure (HE, within three hours walking distance of a Rohingya camp) and low exposure (LE, more than three hours walking distance from a Rohingya camp) areas within the district.
Bridging the Gap Between Data and Policies in Remote Rural Municipalities in Nepal
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-02) Walcher, Alexandra; Adhikary, Phanindra; Tamang, Urmila; Uematsu, Hiroki; Banick, Robert; Maharjan, Liza; Shrestha, Tanuja
Nepal's transition to a federal system provides new optimism to achieve inclusive development and economic growth. However, the scarcity of locally disaggregated data and lack of capacity to use it stymie evidence-based policy decisions, especially in remote rural areas. This note summarizes our recent collaboration with International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) to bring evidence-based policy decisions to local policy makers in remote rural municipalities in Karnali Province, western Nepal.
Impacts of COVID-19 on Labor Markets and Household Well-Being in Pakistan: Evidence From an Online Job Platform
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-02) Tas, Emcet O.; Ahmed, Tanima; Matsuda, Norihiko; Nomura, Shinsaku
This brief uses the administrative database of Pakistan’s largest online job platform and an online COVID-19 survey to examine the gender impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on labor markets and other well-being indicators. The analysis shows that the pandemic led to an unprecedented level of economic insecurity, resulting in widespread job loss, business closures, slowdown in business activity, and reduced working hours. The sectors where women are more likely to be employed, such as education and health, were more severely affected, yet the post-pandemic recovery was faster for males. The pandemic has also led to a disproportionate increase in women’s unpaid care work, as well as increasing their reported rates of stress, anxiety and exposure to violence. These findings suggest that impacts resulting from COVID-19 might lead to further declines in women’s participation in the economy in Pakistan, where women’s labor force participation is already among the world’s lowest.
COVID-19 Monitoring Survey in Poor and Slum Areas of Dhaka and Chittagong: Bangladesh Labor Market Situation As of Round 3, January 13 - February 27, 2021
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021) World Bank
To track the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on labor markets and household coping strategies, a rapid phone survey was implemented on a representative sample of households living in poor and slum areas of Dhaka and Chittagong City Corporations (CCs). This brief, the fifth in the series, summarizes results from the first, second, and third rounds of the rapid phone survey, conducted from June 10 to July 10, 2020, from September 2 to October 11, 2020, and from January 13 to February 27, 2021, respectively. Eighty-eight percent of respondents interviewed in the first and second survey rounds were reached in the third round (see annex 1 for details of the survey design and response rates). This brief focuses on how the labor-market situation evolved between the rounds a year after the onset of the crisis.
COVID-19 Monitoring Survey in Poor and Slum Areas of Dhaka and Chittagong: Bangladesh Food Security and Coping Strategies as of Round 2, September 2 - October 2020
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021) World Bank
By September 2020, Dhaka and Chittagong labor markets in Bangladesh showed signs of recovery in employment. Employment recovered faster in Chittagong, reaching pre-COVID-19 levels, while Dhaka remained below pre-COVID-19 employment levels. To track the impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis on labor markets and household coping strategies, a rapid phone survey was implemented on a representative sample of households living in poor and slum areas of Dhaka and Chittagong City Corporations (CCs). This brief, the third in the series, summarizes results from the first and second rounds of the rapid phone survey, conducted from June 10 to July 10, 2020, and from September 2 to October 11, 2020. Ninety-four percent of respondents interviewed in the first survey round were reached in the second round. This brief focuses on how the labor market situation, and how food security and coping strategies evolved between the two rounds.