Coping Strategies, Well-Being and Inequalities during the COVID-19 Pandemic Period

63 Pages Posted: 12 Jan 2023

See all articles by Eleftherios Giovanis

Eleftherios Giovanis

Izmir Bakircay University Department of International Trade and Business; Economic Research Forum (ERF)

Oznur Ozdamar

Aydın Adnan Menderes University

Date Written: December 9, 2021

Abstract

As a response to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments around the globe have carried on strict lockdown measures affecting millions of jobs, public life, and the well-being of people. This study aims to examine the subjective well-being (SWB) of people, such as the perception of the economic situation and mental well-being, who made adjustments to cope with the earning losses. We estimate the well-being costs, which is the money required to compensate people because of the reduction in earnings or employment loss and the coping strategy followed, to bring their well-being at the levels of those who have not adopted any coping strategy. We examine two outcomes; the perception of the economic situation and a mental well-being index. We employ data from the ERF COVID-19 MENA Monitor Surveys for Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia. The results show that coping strategies with the earning losses have a significant detrimental impact on well-being and are associated with significant costs. In most cases, the coping strategies of borrowing from banks or a private lender and selling assets present the highest well-being costs. Furthermore, the estimates highlight significant discrepancies across gender and types of workers, such as those employed in the informal sector and temporary contracts.

Keywords: Coping Strategies; COVID-19; Inequalities; MENA Region; Mental Health; Perceived Economics Situation; Risks; Subjective Well-Being

JEL Classification: I1

Suggested Citation

Giovanis, Eleftherios and Ozdamar, Oznur, Coping Strategies, Well-Being and Inequalities during the COVID-19 Pandemic Period (December 9, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4320751 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4320751

Eleftherios Giovanis (Contact Author)

Izmir Bakircay University Department of International Trade and Business ( email )

Gazi Mustafa Kemal Mahallesi
Kaynak Caddesi Seyrek Menemen
Izmir, 35660
Turkey

Economic Research Forum (ERF) ( email )

21 Al-Sad Al-Aaly St.
(P.O. Box: 12311)
Dokki, Cairo
Egypt

Oznur Ozdamar

Aydın Adnan Menderes University ( email )

Turkey

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