Understanding mental health conditions and key coping strategies utilized during major lockdowns in the Caribbean based on Google trends searches.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted countries to implement extended Shelter in Place Orders (SIPOs) to restrict population movement and mitigate community spread. While these lockdown measures may be effective in containing the virus, they can substantially impact the population's well-being, potentially undermining their overall welfare. This study investigates whether major lockdowns implemented in the Caribbean produced differential changes in mental health among key English-Speaking Caribbean countries. More importantly, unlike past studies, we examine key coping strategies persons utilize during major lockdowns. Finally, this paper utilizes a novel near real-time high-frequency data source in Google Trends data analytics to assess mental health patterns and coping strategies among major Caribbean countries. Based on the results of difference-in-difference and event study models, we find positive and significant increases in searches for fear, depression, and suicide during key lockdown periods, which suggest negative mental health effects. Regarding coping strategies, searches for Zoom, learning, books, exercise, prayer, religion, and meditation increased, together with searches for addiction and marijuana. These results indicate the types of programs health administrators and policymakers can implement during lockdown periods to help local mental health communities, particularly among island communities.

The Impact of Tropical Storms on International Trade: Evidence from Eastern Caribbean Small Island Developing States.

Eastern Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have a high dependence on international trade for income, employment, and poverty reduction given their extreme openness, small market size, narrow range of resources, and productive capabilities and specialized economic structures. These features make them vulnerable to external shocks, the most frequent being tropical storms. The objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of tropical storms on international trade for 8 Eastern Caribbean SIDS over the period 2000-2019, as well as the mediating role of the Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER). The paper uses panel regression techniques along with mediation analysis applied to monthly export, import, and exchange rate data taken from the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank combined with a measure of hurricane destruction that accounts for ex-ante economic exposure to damage. The results indicate that hurricanes reduce exports of goods by 20 percent in the month of a strike and up to three months thereafter. The impact on imports is more immediate and less severe, reducing imports of goods by 11 per cent only in the month of a strike. The mediation analysis suggests that the REER plays no mediation role in explaining the impact of tropical storm damage on exports and imports in the region.

Financing needs to achieve Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement in Caribbean Small Island Developing States.

Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Given high mitigation and adaptation costs and constrained domestic finances, they seek international funding to meet their climate objectives. This paper investigates Caribbean SIDS perspectives on the role of international climate finance in addressing climate change and its effectiveness in meeting climate goals. The paper first explored the climate financing needs of sixteen Caribbean SIDS through a content analysis of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It then compares the climate finance needs of the region with international climate finance commitments received by examining climate finance trends using data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee's (DAC) Creditor Reporting System (CRS). The study revealed large gaps in estimating the climate finance needs of the region, as well as important patterns in the way climate finance is being distributed across mitigation, adaptation and overlap activity; principal versus significant climate objective; recipient country; sector; and source and type of funding. These findings are useful to help countries make decisions about how international climate finance should be used, and how its impacts should be evaluated and a basis for climate finance negotiations and dialogue with bilateral development partners and multilateral climate funds, and to assess whether available funds are being put to good use and identify problems that need to be addressed.