Topic
Policy
Research
Macroeconomics
Political Economy
Development
International Trade
Title / Abstract
Author
Development
Policy
Research
01.04.2021

Working from home in developing countries

 Abstract We use worker-level data on the task content of jobs to measure the ability to work-from-home (WFH) in developing countries. We show that the ability to WFH is low in developing countries and document significant heterogeneity across and within occupations, and across worker characteristics. Our measure suggests that educated workers, wage employees and women have a higher ability to WFH. Using data from Brazil, Costa Rica and Peru, we show that our measure is predictive of actual WFH both in terms of overall levels and variation with occupation and individual characteristics, as well as employment outcomes. Our measure can thus be used to predict WFH outcomes in developing countries. [ more ]
[ Policy paper ↗]  [ Working paper (ungated) ↗]  [ DOI ↗]  [ Alexandria ↗] 
Charles Gottlieb
Markus Poschke
Fernando Saltiel
Jan Grobovsek
Macroeconomics
Development
Policy
Research
01.02.2021

Lockdown accounting

 Abstract We use worker-level data on the task content of jobs to measure the ability to work-from-home (WFH) in developing countries. We show that the ability to WFH is low in developing countries and document significant heterogeneity across and within occupations, and across worker characteristics. Our measure suggests that educated workers, wage employees and women have a higher ability to WFH. Using data from Brazil, Costa Rica and Peru, we show that our measure is predictive of actual WFH both in terms of overall levels and variation with occupation and individual characteristics, as well as employment outcomes. Our measure can thus be used to predict WFH outcomes in developing countries. [ more ]
[ Policy paper ↗]  [ DOI ↗]  [ Working paper (ungated) ↗]  [ Alexandria ↗] 
Charles Gottlieb
Markus Poschke
Fernando Saltiel
Jan Grobovsek
International Trade
Policy
Research
01.11.2020

Collateral damage: Cross-border fallout from pandemic policy overdrive

 Abstract The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic meant governments faced their second systemic economic crisis in under 15 years. This column introduces the latest Global Trade Alert report, which documents the extensive cross-border spillovers created by government policy intervention during the first ten months of the year, much of it in response to the pandemic. The evidence challenges five common claims made by officials during crises and questions the current approach to crisis management found in WTO accords. [ more ]
[ Policy paper ↗]  [ Paper (ungated) ↗]  [ Alexandria ↗] 
Simon Evenett
Johannes Fritz