{"title":"Effect of income instability and social transfers on food security during COVID-19 in Tunisia","authors":"Hajer Habib, Amal Jmaii","doi":"10.1108/ijse-11-2023-0867","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<h3>Purpose</h3>\n<p>The purpose of this paper is to assess the implications of COVID-19 shocks on household income, food security and the role of social protection in Tunisia.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\n<h3>Design/methodology/approach</h3>\n<p>We used food insecurity classes proposed by FAO and data from the Economic Research Forum (ERF) Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Monitor Household Survey conducted over four waves of COVID-19 (November 2020, February 2021, April 2021 and June 2021). Here, the regression of a multinomial logistic model (MLM) is used to highlight the likelihood that a respondent’s eating habits were degraded by the COVID-19 crisis.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\n<h3>Findings</h3>\n<p>The findings first indicate that low-income and labor income-dependent households are the most vulnerable to shocks induced by COVID-19 and have had their food habits deteriorate considerably. Second, self-produced food by farmers who inhabit rural areas represented a food safety net during the pandemic. Finally, households that received a social transfer did not manage to overcome severe food insecurity.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\n<h3>Social implications</h3>\n<p>As a result, the challenges are to extend social protection coverage to households that face transitory poverty.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\n<h3>Originality/value</h3>\n<p>This is among the first studies to examine the effects of COVID-19 on household income and food insecurity in Tunisia. The study uses a new survey whose main objective is to monitor the impact of health crisis on Tunisian households, taking into consideration the strong labor market fluctuations. Indeed, these fluctuations, when measured against the pre-pandemic period and subsequent periods, would help to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on households’ well-being.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->\n<h3>Peer review</h3>\n<p>The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-11-2023-0867.</p><!--/ Abstract__block -->","PeriodicalId":47714,"journal":{"name":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL ECONOMICS","volume":"64 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SOCIAL ECONOMICS","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1108/ijse-11-2023-0867","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ECONOMICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to assess the implications of COVID-19 shocks on household income, food security and the role of social protection in Tunisia.
Design/methodology/approach
We used food insecurity classes proposed by FAO and data from the Economic Research Forum (ERF) Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Monitor Household Survey conducted over four waves of COVID-19 (November 2020, February 2021, April 2021 and June 2021). Here, the regression of a multinomial logistic model (MLM) is used to highlight the likelihood that a respondent’s eating habits were degraded by the COVID-19 crisis.
Findings
The findings first indicate that low-income and labor income-dependent households are the most vulnerable to shocks induced by COVID-19 and have had their food habits deteriorate considerably. Second, self-produced food by farmers who inhabit rural areas represented a food safety net during the pandemic. Finally, households that received a social transfer did not manage to overcome severe food insecurity.
Social implications
As a result, the challenges are to extend social protection coverage to households that face transitory poverty.
Originality/value
This is among the first studies to examine the effects of COVID-19 on household income and food insecurity in Tunisia. The study uses a new survey whose main objective is to monitor the impact of health crisis on Tunisian households, taking into consideration the strong labor market fluctuations. Indeed, these fluctuations, when measured against the pre-pandemic period and subsequent periods, would help to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on households’ well-being.
Peer review
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-11-2023-0867.
期刊介绍:
The International Journal of Social Economics publishes original and peer-reviewed theoretical and empirical research in the field of social economics. Its focus is on the examination and analysis of the interaction between economic activity, individuals and communities. Social economics focuses on the relationship between social action and economies, and examines how social and ethical norms influence the behaviour of economic agents. It is inescapably normative and focuses on needs, rather than wants or preferences, and considers the wellbeing of individuals in communities: it accepts the possibility of a common good rather than conceiving of communities as merely aggregates of individual preferences and the problems of economics as coordinating those preferences. Therefore, contributions are invited which analyse and discuss well-being, welfare, the nature of the good society, governance and social policy, social and economic justice, social and individual economic motivation, and the associated normative and ethical implications of these as they express themselves in, for example, issues concerning the environment, labour and work, education, the role of families and women, inequality and poverty, health and human development.