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Blog Post
July 22, 2021
As the COVID-19 pandemic started to exact a toll on lives and livelihoods in early 2020, countries imposed strict lockdowns to stem the spread of infections, disrupting economies and societies across the world. With pandemic-induced constraints on in-person interactions, many countries adopted a “di...
POLICY PAPERS
July 22, 2021
Together with a lockdown and an information campaign, India’s early response to the Covid-19 pandemic included the launch of PMGKY, a major social protection package. This built on previous digital investments including in direct benefit transfer to financial accounts as well as on several establish...
WORKING PAPERS
July 20, 2021
India lacks an authoritative estimate of the death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic. We report excess mortality estimates from three different data sources from the pandemic’s start through June 2021. Estimating COVID-deaths with statistical confidence may prove elusive. But all estimates suggest tha...
Blog Post
July 20, 2021
The official Covid death count in India as of end-June 2021 is 400,000. The reality is, of course, catastrophically worse. Unlike in other countries, authoritative excess death estimates based on official data have not been available because government recording of deaths, especially at the center, ...
Blog Post
June 15, 2021
Preventive behaviors such as handwashing and social distancing are critical to containing the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19, particularly in densely populated areas of low-income countries with crowded living quarters and public spaces. But it can be challenging to identify and deploy ...
WORKING PAPERS
June 08, 2021
We conduct an adaptive randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impact of a SMS-based information campaign on the adoption of social distancing and handwashing in rural Bihar, India, six months into the COVID-19 pandemic. We test 10 arms that vary in delivery timing and message framing, changing ...
WORKING PAPERS
June 07, 2021
Many low- and middle-income countries are looking to achieve universal health coverage by implementing large social health insurance schemes. India has been a frontrunner in this effort, introducing state and national health insurance schemes, especially for tertiary care. Despite these efforts, Ind...
Blog Post
May 24, 2021
After its first wave peaked in September 2020, India declared victory over COVID-19. With reported cases decreasing, vaccines on the horizon, and social restrictions lifted, life began returning to normal. But today, India’s health system is overwhelmed and a humanitarian crisis is unfolding. ...
POLICY PAPERS
April 29, 2021
The past decade has seen significant innovation and growth in the volume and value of digital payments in India. However, we find that the associated gains have been heavily concentrated in favor of wealthier and urban customers and have had less impact on lower income and rural populations. While s...
Blog Post
April 27, 2021
India’s second COVID-19 wave has been explosive, reaching world record totals of over 300,000 daily officially reported cases. The true number is likely to be much higher, with a large number of cases missed as indicated by the delays in testing and rapidly rising positivity rates - currently one in...