Research has already shown that some population groups have been harder hit by Covid-19 than others and that the pandemic exacerbated existing inequalities in many areas, including health, education, work, and gender.

In this context, inequality has become a central issue for governments willing to fight the effects of the pandemic and to better prepare for future shocks. In April 2020, the Togolese government set up a cash transfer program called "Novissi", with the financial contribution of AFD, to support any eligible Togolese citizen who lost his or her income due to the adoption of the response measures against Covid-19. 

Studies using updated data and capturing the potential effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on income inequality and poverty in Togo are relatively scarce. This research project aims to fill the gap in academic literature by analyzing the impacts of Covid-19 on inequality in Togo, and evaluating the effects of the Togolese social policy « Novissi » on mitigating the impact of Covid-19 on inequality.

Using rich microeconomic data from a survey conducted by Togo's Institut National de la Statistique et des Études Économiques et Démographiques (INSEED) aimed at analysing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the research team will estimate an econometric model based on the model developed by Dang and Nguyen (2021).

Despite several efforts to promote pro-poor growth, South Africa remains one of the most unequal countries in the world. While the country's colonial history and apartheid are known to have contributed to this inequality level, the nature and dynamics of its impact on society are yet to be fully understood.

Literature suggests that better institutions and lower level of inequality improve subjective wellbeing. However, evidence that examine how the interaction between these two variables explain variation in wellbeing is relatively scarce. This study will thus contribute to a deeper understanding of inequalities in South Africa. 

This research project has two main objectives:

1. Explore how variations in governance (such as audit outcomes) across South Africa's district municipalities explain the variation in the well-being of individuals.
2. Investigate how the interaction between the variation in governance across local government municipalities and inequality among individuals explains variation in subjective well-being.

To investigate the interactions between the quality of institutions and of the governance, the level of spatial inequality and the subjective wellbeing, researchers will use the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS), a nationally representative survey of individuals across South Africa, which is repeated over five waves between 2008 and 2017. They will also use audit outcomes of local municipalities to proxy for the quality of governance.

You will find below the research paper related to this project:

• Spatial Inequality, Sub-regional governance and Subjective Well-being - The case of South Africa