Research Insights: The Unintended Effects of a Noncontributory Pension Program during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Date issued
Nov 2020
Publication
Subject
Social Security;
Pension Systems;
Unemployment Insurance;
Transfer Program;
Coronavirus;
Pandemic;
Household Income;
Non Contributory Pension;
Social Safety Net;
Elderly
JEL code
I38 - Government Policy • Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs;
H55 - Social Security and Public Pensions;
I15 - Health and Economic Development;
H84 - Disaster Aid
Country
Bolivia
Category
Catalogs and Brochures
Results show that becoming eligible for an established, noncontributory pension program during the Covid-19 crisis in Bolivia increased the probability that households had a weeks worth of food stocked by 25 percent and decreased the probability of going hungry by 40 percent. The positive impacts are particularly large for households that experienced labor market shocks at the onset of the pandemic, and for low-income households for which the transfer represents a larger share of household income. During a systemic crisis, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, a preexisting nearuniversal pension program quickly delivered positive impacts, in line with the primary goals of a social safety net.