Social and economic disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic
Conference Year
January 2022
Abstract
The current COVID-19 pandemic has strengthened the already marked differences among socio-economic groups. The use of non-pharmacological interventions; such as mobility restrictions and work-from-home jobs have, in one hand, helped mitigate the spread of the virus and created a job deficit and a consumption reduction, in the other. This has specially impacted middle- and low-income countries where economic stimulus programs were small at best, and thus further affecting the most vulnerable populations. Using GPS signals from cellphone usage allows us to track users’ behavior in order to evaluate the compliance in mobility restrictions and discern the differences between economic strata to create better public policies based on evidence. We use GPS data from a provider and government censuses to optimize a mobility model and measure the impact in 6 middle income countries. We also have a different data partnership which we use along with economic surveys to deepen the understanding of the economic impact of the pandemic.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Nicholas Cheney
Status
Graduate
Student College
College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
Program/Major
Complex Systems
Primary Research Category
Engineering & Physical Sciences
Secondary Research Category
Social Sciences
Social and economic disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic
The current COVID-19 pandemic has strengthened the already marked differences among socio-economic groups. The use of non-pharmacological interventions; such as mobility restrictions and work-from-home jobs have, in one hand, helped mitigate the spread of the virus and created a job deficit and a consumption reduction, in the other. This has specially impacted middle- and low-income countries where economic stimulus programs were small at best, and thus further affecting the most vulnerable populations. Using GPS signals from cellphone usage allows us to track users’ behavior in order to evaluate the compliance in mobility restrictions and discern the differences between economic strata to create better public policies based on evidence. We use GPS data from a provider and government censuses to optimize a mobility model and measure the impact in 6 middle income countries. We also have a different data partnership which we use along with economic surveys to deepen the understanding of the economic impact of the pandemic.