Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Dietrich, Stephan
Author-Email: dietrich@merit.unu.edu
Author-Workplace-Name: UNU-MERIT, Maastricht University
Author-Name: Giuffrida, Valerio
Author-Email: giuffrida@merit.unu.edu
Author-Workplace-Name: UNU-MERIT, and Research Assessment and Monitoring Division,
	 UN World Food Programme
Author-Name: Martorano, Bruno
Author-Email: martorano@merit.unu.edu
Author-Workplace-Name: UNU-MERIT, Maastricht University
Author-Name: Schmerzeck, Georg
Author-Email: georg.schmerzeck@gu.se
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science,
	 University of Gothenburg
Title: COVID-19 policy responses, mobility, and food prices: Evidence from local 
	 markets in 47 low to middle income countries
Abstract: Governments around the world have taken drastic measures to contain the
	 spread of the new Coronavirus. Policy responses to the pandemic could
	 affect local food prices in sensitive ways. We hypothesize that mobility
	 restrictions reduce trade, which increases food price dispersion and
	 prices in regionally integrated markets, but not in segmented markets.
	 We use WFP price data of 798 retail markets in 47 low to middle income
	 countries to test if and how food prices were affected by the stringency
	 of COVID- 19 measures. We assess market segmentation based on
	 pre-COVID-19 price data and measure government responses using the
	 Oxford Coronavirus Government Response Tracker. Our results show that
	 more stringent policy responses increase food prices for integrated and
	 less remote markets but not for segmented markets. The impact of the
	 stringency of policy reposes on food prices is mediated by reductions in
	 mobility and moderated by markets' pre-Corona dependency on trade.
Classification-JEL: H12, D4, Q11, Q18, D04
Keywords: COVID-19, Prices, Food, Market Integration, Public Policy
Series: UNU-MERIT Working Papers
Creation-Date: 20210301
Number: 2021-008
File-URL: https://unu-merit.nl/publications/wppdf/2021/wp2021-008.pdf
File-Format: application/pdf
File-Size: 275 Kb
Handle: RePEc:unm:unumer:2021008