More from these Authors

• Working Paper | HBS Working Paper Series | 2020

  Food Security and Human Mobility During the Covid-19 Lockdown

  Prithwiraj Choudhury, Wesley W. Koo, Xina Li, Nishant Kishore, Satchit Balsari, Tarun Khanna, Prithwiraj Choudhury, Wesley W. Koo, Xina Li, Nishant Kishore, Satchit Balsari and Tarun Khanna

  During the COVID-19 crisis, millions of migrants around the world face food insecurity. This could force migrants to travel during the pandemic, exposing them to health risks and accelerating the spread of the virus. Anecdotal evidence demonstrates the importance of enforcing food security policies to tide the crisis. However, the effects of these policies on containing mobility during the crisis remain unknown. Using mobility data from Facebook, we demonstrate that a policy to guarantee food security that has attracted attention from the Supreme Court of India—portable ration cards—is related to lower mobility during India’s COVID-19 lockdown. Intra-state portable ration cards, which give migrants access to food when they move within their state, are associated with 12% lower intra-state mobility. This effect is particularly strong for states that have fully implemented the policy compared to states that have partially implemented it. However, inter-state portability of ration cards is not related to reduced inter-state mobility, suggesting frictions in implementing the policy across state borders. We also find that food distribution activities by ration shops and civil society actors at the local level are associated with reduced mobility both within states and across state borders. Our study provides generalizable lessons for policymakers around the world: food security policies are essential for helping migrants restrict their travel during the pandemic. Policy implementation requires lead time; therefore, central governments need to coordinate with local actors to increase food distribution to migrants in the immediate term.

  Citation:

  Choudhury, Prithwiraj, Wesley W. Koo, Xina Li, Nishant Kishore, Satchit Balsari, and Tarun Khanna. "Food Security and Human Mobility During the Covid-19 Lockdown." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-113, May 2020.  View Details

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | May 2020

  Gavi and COVID-19: Pandemic of the Century

  Tarun Khanna and Sid Misra

  Gavi has helped immunize over 760 million children in the world's poorest countries over the past 20 years saving 13 million lives. How should Gavi respond to the need for a vaccine for the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic?

  Keywords: vaccine; Pandemics; healthcare; emerging markets; crisis management;

  Citation:

  Khanna, Tarun, and Sid Misra. "Gavi and COVID-19: Pandemic of the Century." Harvard Business School Case 720-451, May 2020.  View Details

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• Working Paper | HBS Working Paper Series | 2020

  Food Security and Human Mobility During the Covid-19 Lockdown

  Prithwiraj Choudhury, Wesley W. Koo, Xina Li, Nishant Kishore, Satchit Balsari, Tarun Khanna, Prithwiraj Choudhury, Wesley W. Koo, Xina Li, Nishant Kishore, Satchit Balsari and Tarun Khanna

  During the COVID-19 crisis, millions of migrants around the world face food insecurity. This could force migrants to travel during the pandemic, exposing them to health risks and accelerating the spread of the virus. Anecdotal evidence demonstrates the importance of enforcing food security policies to tide the crisis. However, the effects of these policies on containing mobility during the crisis remain unknown. Using mobility data from Facebook, we demonstrate that a policy to guarantee food security that has attracted attention from the Supreme Court of India—portable ration cards—is related to lower mobility during India’s COVID-19 lockdown. Intra-state portable ration cards, which give migrants access to food when they move within their state, are associated with 12% lower intra-state mobility. This effect is particularly strong for states that have fully implemented the policy compared to states that have partially implemented it. However, inter-state portability of ration cards is not related to reduced inter-state mobility, suggesting frictions in implementing the policy across state borders. We also find that food distribution activities by ration shops and civil society actors at the local level are associated with reduced mobility both within states and across state borders. Our study provides generalizable lessons for policymakers around the world: food security policies are essential for helping migrants restrict their travel during the pandemic. Policy implementation requires lead time; therefore, central governments need to coordinate with local actors to increase food distribution to migrants in the immediate term.

  Citation:

  Choudhury, Prithwiraj, Wesley W. Koo, Xina Li, Nishant Kishore, Satchit Balsari, and Tarun Khanna. "Food Security and Human Mobility During the Covid-19 Lockdown." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-113, May 2020.  View Details

  CiteView DetailsSSRNSSRN Read Now

  Related