Cash transfer in the Covid-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean

Este artigo apresenta resultados parciais de uma investigação em desenvolvimento por pesquisadores de universidades brasileiras, argentinas e uruguaias. Os programas de transferência de renda são vistos como medidas sociais para mitigar a pobreza, bem como para diminuir o aumento do desemprego, do trabalho informal e do desperdício de renda. A metodologia de pesquisa foram estudos bibliográficos e documentais;dados secundários;acesso a sites e dados da Comissão Econômica para a América Latina e o Caribe. A discussão enfoca concepções, modalidades e o debate sobre Programas Focalizados de Transferência de Renda e Renda Básica Universal como referência para discutir a realidade dos programas de transferência de renda na América Latina e Caribe. Os resultados apontaram para a ampliação dos programas focalizados de transferência de renda;criação de programas emergenciais para atender as consequências econômicas e sociais geradas pela pandemia de Covid-19, mas não foi identificada a implementação da Renda Básica Universal e Incondicional.Alternate :Este artículo presenta resultados parciales de una investigación en desarrollo por investigadores de universidades brasileñas, argentinas y uruguayas. Los programas de transferencias monetarias son vistos como medidas sociales para mitigar la pobreza, así como para disminuir el aumento del desempleo, el trabajo informal y el desperdicio de ingresos. La metodología de investigación fueron estudios bibliográficos y documentales;Datos secundarios;acceso a sitios web y datos de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe. La discusión se centra en las concepciones, modalidades y el debate sobre los Programas de Transferencias Monetarias Focalizadas y la Renta Básica Universal como referencia para discutir la realidad de los programas de transferencias monetarias en América Latina y el Caribe. Los resultados señalaron la ampliación de los programas de transferencias monetarias focalizadas;creación de programas de emergencia para atender las consecuencias económicas y sociales generadas por la pandemia del Covid-19, pero no se identificó la implementación de la Renta Básica Universal e Incondicional.Alternate :This article presents partial results of an investigation under development by researchers at Brazilian, Argentine and Uruguayan Universities. The cash transfer programs are seen as social measures to mitigate poverty, as well as to decrease the rise of unemployment, informal work and waste of income. The research methodology were bibliographic and documental studies;secondary data;access to websites and data from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. The discuss focus on conceptions, modalities and the debate on Focalized Cash Transfer Programs and Universal Basic Income as reference to discuss the reality of cash transfer programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. The outcomes pointed out the enlargement of the focalized cash transfer programs;creation of emergence programs to meet the economic and social consequences generated by the Covid-19 pandemic, but it was not identified the implementation of the Universal and Unconditional Basic Income.

The Economic Impact of COVID-19 Crisis Based on Complex Network Evolution Model

The Covid-19 crisis impacts the economy with non-equilibrium and non-linear shocks. This paper builds a trading network model based on the theory of trading economics. Using the network model, the evolutionary procedure of the economic depression triggered by the shocks are researched. The study shows that under the impact of shocks, small and medium-sized trading agents with weak profitability will first experience cash flow crisis. Then the crisis contagion is formed in upstream and downstream through the trading network. The credit reduction caused by the business deterioration will make the interest rate in the economy increase and promote each other with the bankruptcy of trading entities. Eventually, it leads to the feedback loop in liquidity crisis and debt crisis, which accelerates the bankruptcy of enterprises and possibly causing a debt crisis in the banking sector. It is found that after the shock, the economic recovery may take three patterns: stable recovery, slow recession and secondary crisis. Finally, the paper proposes relevant policy recommendations to reduce the impact of the crisis. © 2023 Editorial Borad of Complex Systems and Complexity Science. All rights reserved.

Sustainable development in natural resources industry: is geopolitical risk a catalyst for corporate excess cash holdings?

With the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, combined with the COVID-19 epidemic and the Federal Reserve's interest rate hike, geopolitical risks have increased sharply, which has brought great pressure on the sustainable development of natural resources industry. This study aims to discuss the impact of geopolitical risk (GPR) on corporate excess cash holdings in China's natural resources industry. The findings suggest that GRP can encourage enterprises in the natural resources industry to hold more excess cash. The findings still hold with a suite of robustness tests. The study also evidences that the above effect is more significant for state-owned enterprises, enterprises in the mining industry, and large-scale enterprises. Finally, further results show that with the increase of GPR, enterprises with strong risk-taking capacity tend to hold more excess cash, while enterprises registered in higher market-oriented regions are inclined to retain less excess cash. These findings can conduce to a deep understanding of the influence of GPR on corporate excess cash holdings and serve as a reference for policy-makers to adjust policies. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

VILLAGE HEAD LEADERSHIP OPTIMIZATION DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN SULA REGENCY: STUDY OF HANDLING DIRECT CASH FUNDS IN FALAHU VILLAGE

The Village Head has the position of Head of Village Government who is in charge of administering Village Government, carrying out development, community development, and community empowerment. The village head as the formal leader of the village acts as a motivator, facilitator and mediator who is very important for the success of each planned development program and plan. The purpose of study is to find out village head leadership optimization during COVID-19 pandemic in sula regency regarding study of handling direct cash funds in Falahu village. This research is a type of descriptive research with qualitative analysis which is a problem-solving procedure investigated by describing and describing the state of an object at the time of research based on the facts that appear as they are. This information is needed to find out the Optimization of Village Head Leadership in Handling Direct Cash Assistance Funds During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Falahu Village, Sanana District, Sula Islands Regency. Research data was collected either through data collection instruments, observation, interview guidelines, documentation. From the results of the research and discussion that has been carried out, it can be concluded that the leadership factor plays an important role because it is the leader who will move and direct the community in achieving goals and at the same time is a task that is not easy because you have to understand the behavior of each subordinate and the different people. In general, and as a whole has optimized his leadership role both starting from the role of responsibility, communication, interpersonal, informational and decision-making. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Devotion: Journal of Research & Community Service is the property of Green Publisher and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

State-level data on TANF policy changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: COVID-19 mitigation measures prompted many states to revise the administration of their welfare programs. States adopted policies that varied across the U.S. to respond to the difficulties in fulfilling program requirements, as well as increased financial need. This dataset captures the changes made to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, from March 2020 through December 2020. The authors created this dataset as part of a larger study that examined the health effects of TANF policy changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. DATA DESCRIPTION: TANF is the main cash assistance program for low-income families in the U.S., but benefits are often conditional on work requirements and can be revoked if an individual is deemed noncompliant. Structural factors during the COVID-19 pandemic made meeting these criteria more difficult, so some states relaxed their rules and increased their benefits. This dataset captures 24 types of policies that state TANF programs enacted, which of the states enacted each of them, when the policies went into effect, and when applicable, when the policies ended. These data can be used to study the effects of TANF policy changes on various health and programmatic outcomes.

Covid-19 and investment-cash flow sensitivity: A cross-country analysis.

This study investigates investment-cash flow sensitivity during the COVID-19 economic crisis. Using an international sample of publicly listed firms, we find that the sensitivity of capital expenditures to cash flows is significantly reduced during the crisis. When we split the sample into strongly and weakly affected countries, we find that firms in countries affected more seriously by COVID-19 exhibit lower investment responsiveness to cash flows. We further find that investment-cash flow sensitivity is diminished when government aid is greater, firms have more cash on hand, and investment opportunities decline. Our results survive a host of robustness checks. This study contributes to the discussion on the impact of COVID-19 on corporate policies within an international framework.

Revisiting Poverty Trends and the Role of Social Protection Systems in Africa during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Quantifying the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on poverty in Africa has been as difficult as predicting the path of the pandemic, mainly due to data limitations. The advent of new data sources, including national accounts and phone survey data, provides an opportunity for a thorough reassessment of the impact of the pandemic and the subsequent expansion of social protection systems on the evolution of poverty in Africa. In this paper, we combine per capita GDP growth from national accounts with data from High-Frequency Phone Surveys for several countries to estimate the net impact of the pandemic on poverty. We find that the pandemic has increased poverty in Africa by 1.5 to 1.7 percentage points in 2020, relatively smaller than early estimates and projections. We also find that countries affected by Fragility, Conflict and Violence experienced the greatest increases in poverty, about 2.1 percentage points in 2020. Furthermore, we assess and synthesize empirical evidence on the role that social protection systems played in mitigating the adverse impact of the COVID-19 crisis in Africa. We review social protection responses in various African countries, mainly focusing on the impact of these programs and effectiveness of targeting systems. Although the evidence base on the protective role of social protection programs during the pandemic remains scarce, we highlight important findings on the impacts of these programs while also uncovering some vulnerabilities in social protection programming in Africa. We finally draw important lessons related to the delivery, targeting and impact of various social protection programs launched in Africa in response to the pandemic.

Cash holdings, ambiguity aversion, and investment puzzles

We consider a real options model with ambiguity to investigate how cash holdings and ambiguity aversion affect a firm's dynamic investments. First, we prove a unique positive ambiguity coefficient exists when ambiguity exceeds it such that entrepreneurs believe the project is "too valueless to invest in”. Second, the coupons demanded by creditors increase with ambiguity, and cash holdings reduce the ambiguity premium. Our research provides a new explanation as to why companies abandon investment and hold more cash under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Is it good to hold more cash before the pandemic? A case of Taiwanese firms.

The Covid-19 pandemic poses a great damage to firm performance worldwide. It raises the empirical question that if any factor can help firm perform better during the pandemic. In this study, we hypothesize that firms holding more cash before the pandemic can perform better during the pandemic year in 2020. We collect all listed firms from Taiwan Stock Exchange and test this hypothesis. Adopting a panel-data regression models with fixed effects, we find supportive evidence that pre-saved cash is valuable and can help firms perform better during the pandemic. Cash-rich firms will have a higher return on equity and return on assets. The economic significance is also non-trivial. Our study thus contributes to our understanding of how the pandemic can affect firm business and which lesson we can learn from this pandemic.

Modern pandemic crises and R&D investment

This study investigates the impact of crises caused by pandemics on firms' R&D investments. We explore these associations by utilizing a comprehensive cross-country sample of 261,959 firm-year observations collected from 39 countries during five modern health crises (SARS in 2003, H1N1 in 2009, MERS in 2012, Ebola in 2012, and Zika in 2016). The results indicate that pandemics have a positive and significant impact on R&D investment. Furthermore, we show that private firms in civil-law countries were more likely to adopt conservative financial policies than those in common-law countries. We conclude that the difference between the legal origins of private firms influences the impact on R&D investment. Moreover, it promotes conservative policies to reduce private firms' R&D investment in countries with civil law.

Evaluating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on unemployment, income distribution and poverty in Turkey

In the recent World Economic Outlook, the IMF indicates that world output shrank by 3.5% in 2020. Despite all pessimistic expectations, the Turkish economy was one of the few countries to have a positive, albeit low, economic growth rate in 2020. This was, however, achieved at the expense of high social and economic costs. The present research examines the distributional costs of this economic growth during the pandemic and suggests economic measures required to control them. The empirical examination is based on generating unavailable income and living conditions for 2020 by using the results available in TurkStat's 2017 Income and Living Conditions Survey. The actual changes in sectoral output and employment, which are available as of March 2021, are used to generate changes in the income levels of households in TurkStat's 2017 survey. The research empirically shows that adequate fiscal support with a large scope for households and businesses is necessary to compensate for economic losses caused by the pan-demic. The short-run working allowance policy appears to have been very important to improve income distribution, which might have deteriorated due to the pandemic. Direct cash support to households is considered another essential policy measure that is required to mitigate the severity of increased poverty.(c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cardless Cash Withdrawal Using Palm Vein Technology

Generally, the easiest way to withdraw money from your bank account is by using an Automated Teller Machine (ATM). The user can withdraw the money by inserting their card into the slot on the machine, and then entering a four-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN) to complete the transaction process. Similarly, some banks adopted the method of using a One Time Password (OTP) to complete the transaction process to make it more secure. With the recent advancements in technology, there are many new methods that can be used for withdrawing money from ATMs, like cardless cash withdrawal or using one's biometrics. But, due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, we refrain from using things that are not sanitized properly. People started avoiding going to the ATMs since hygiene was a major concern during the pandemic. Also, due to the constant hand washing and the use of sanitizers, the use of conventional biometrics was not efficient. As a result, the idea of using a method that is contact-less and is also more secure emerged, i.e., the palm vein technology. The palm vein technology uses a person's vein pattern, which is unique to everyone and can help us achieve better results with greater accuracy. The paper proposes a concept of using a person's vein pattern as a method of contact-less authentication. It is an extremely safe verification procedure because no two people in the world, not even identical twins, can have the same palm vein structure or pattern. Additionally, it is more secure because it is nearly impossible to replicate the palm vein pattern. © 2022 IEEE.

COVID-19 and earnings management: a comparison between Chinese family and non-family enterprises

PurposeThe main objective of this study is to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on earnings management practices in China using a sample of family and non-family enterprises. More specifically, this study aims to examine whether the COVID-19 pandemic causes variation in Chinese listed family and non-family enterprises' operations, as reflected in the level of real earnings management (REM).Design/methodology/approachThis study uses three standardised REM indicators, namely, the abnormal level of cash flows from operations, the abnormal level of production costs and the abnormal level of discretionary expenses. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions are applied to compare the earnings management of Chinese family and non-family enterprises during the pre-pandemic period (2017–2019) and the pandemic period (2020).Findings The authors find that Chinese listed non-family enterprises tend to participate in more REM activities than family enterprises before the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the opposite is true during the pandemic. The authors also find that COVID-19 has increased the involvement of family and non-family enterprises in REM activities.Originality/valueThe results of previous studies based on REM using Chinese listed firms may not be applicable under the new social background of COVID-19. As the period after the COVID-19 outbreak is relatively recent, Chinese researchers have yet to study it comprehensively. The present study is amongst the first empirical attempts investigating the effect of a pandemic financial reporting by investigating whether and how the burst of the COVID-19 crisis affected financial reporting through the earnings management practices of listed Chinese family and non-family enterprises. Such information is crucial because it can provide analysis for all stakeholders to make better decisions.

Impact of pandemics on humanitarian retailing operations: A voucher's case

In 2020, the world started a fight against a pandemic that has severely disrupted commercial and humanitarian supply chains. Humanitarian organizations (HOs), like the World Food Programme (WFP), adjusted their programs in order to manage this pandemic. One such program is cash and voucher assistance (CVA), which is used to bolster beneficiaries' freedom of choice regarding their consumption. In this vein, WFP supports local retailers to provide CVA to beneficiaries who do not have access to a functioning market. However, the operations of these stores can suffer from a very high transmission risk of COVID‐19 unless preventive measures are put in place to reduce it. This paper discusses strategies that retailers and HOs can enact to maximize their service and dignity levels while minimizing transmission risk under a CVA program during a pandemic. We argue that HOs providing CVA programs can improve their assistance during a pandemic by implementing strategies that impact the retailing operations of their retailers.

Pro-social preferences and risk aversion with different payment methods: Evidence from the laboratory

With the advance of smart devices and financial technologies in place, economic transactions involving mobile payments are becoming increasingly preferred. The COVID-19 pandemic has further promoted the adoption of mobile payment since it is faster and more hygienic than cash payment. However, empirical evidence is scarce on whether people would react differently when the transaction is made through mobile or cash payment. In this paper, we examine whether the payment method has an impact on prosocial decisions and risk attitudes using standard laboratory games such as the dictator game, the ultimatum game as well as the conventional Holt and Laury (2002) risk assessment. After controlling a rich set of demographic characteristics, including age and gender, we find subjects are more generous when they use mobile payment compared to cash, but the payment effect on risk attitude is not evident.

OIL PRICE AND VIETNAM STOCK MARKET IN THE ERA OF THE COVID-19 OUTBREAK

The interactive association between oil prices and stock market has increasingly captured the attention of researchers. Especially, how does the relationship between oil prices and stock market varies during COVID-19 pandemic? The study's aim is to investigate the time-varying causal effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the link between the oil prices and Vietnam stock market using the wavelet approach. Daily data about oil prices Vietnam stock prices and returns covers the period of ten years from January 2011 to December 2021 will be gathered, processed and analyzed to examine the influence of pre, first and second waves of COVID-19 pandemic on the relationship between oil prices and stock market.

Closing the Evidence Gap of Cash Transfer for Tuberculosis-Affected Households Comment on "Does Direct Benefit Transfer Improve Outcomes Among People With Tuberculosis? – A Mixed-Methods Study on the Need for a Review of the Cash Transfer Policy in India”

Achieving the targets of eliminating tuberculosis (TB) requires a combination of biomedical, epidemiological, and social approaches. Having hitted by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic which diminishes the financial capacity of TB-affected households, the importance of delivering socioeconomic support to TB-affected household emerges. However, the evidence of TB-related socioeconomic support is still scarce, and some questions are left unanswered. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods study by Dave and Rupani shows that the direct benefit transfer (DBT), a form of cash transfer, to TB-affected households improves TB treatment outcomes in India despite the challenges. Some critical issues remain to be discussed: trading-off between the amount of cash and its sustainability, choosing the most appropriate support packages, detecting, and reaching the target population, and arranging the most effective delivery strategy. Knowledge gap remains to be answered, and a global research agenda and political commitment are critical to encourage more evidence in delivering socioeconomic support for TB control. © 2023 The Author(s);Published by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

Hospital and Health System Finances: Interview with Health Care Expert Lisa Goldstein

Hospitals continue to experience negative margins, with hospital expenses decreasing slightly since the start of the pandemic, but not enough to address impacted volumes and revenues. As a result, issues regarding hospital and health system debt and financial sustainability weigh heavily on health care admini - strators. Hospital finances, and specifically, the management of bonds and debt, are of vital concern, particularly in light of the elimination of CARES Act funding and the forthcoming expiration of the federal Public Health Emergency COVID-19 plan. In this article and accompanying podcast episode, Nursing Economics Editorial Board Member Dr. Therese Fitzpatrick talks with leading health care expert Lisa Goldstein, MPA, about the rising pressures to maintain financial sustainability as hospital margins react to post-pandemic admissions and related adjustments.

THE ROLE OF AN NSI IN A PANDEMIC

It is an enormous privilege for me to present the Deane–Stone lecture. As a young academic at the University of Southampton, I read so much of the work that came out of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) and was always impressed. Also, as an undergraduate and as a master's student at the London School of Economics, Sir Richard Stone and Professor Phyllis Deane featured prominently on my reading list. In my opinion, they were pioneers of economic measurement and, today, economists benefit hugely from their legacy.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the hotel Industry's economic performance: Evidence from Portugal.

This paper estimates the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economic and financial performance of the Portuguese mainland hotel industry. For that purpose, we implement a novel empirical approach to gauge the impact of the pandemic during the 2020-2021 period in terms of the industry's aggregated operating revenues, net total assets, net total debt, generated cash flow, and financial slack. To that end, we derive and estimate a sustainable growth model to project the 2020 and 2021 'Covid-free' aggregated financial statements of a representative Portuguese mainland hotel industry sample. The impact of the Covid pandemic is measured by the difference between the 'Covid-free' financial statements and the historical data drawn from the Orbis and Sabi databases. An MC simulation with bootstrapping indicates that the deviations of the deterministic from the stochastic estimates for major indicators vary between 0.5 and 5.5%. The deterministic operating cash flow estimate lies within plus or minus two standard deviations from the mean interval of the operating cash flow distribution. Based on this distribution, we estimate the downside risk, measured by cash flow at risk, at 1294 million euros. Overall findings shed some light on the economic and financial repercussions of extreme events such as the Covid-19 pandemic, providing us with a better understanding of how to design public policies and business strategies to recover from such an impact.