TY - JOUR
T1 - Small firms and the pandemic
T2 - Evidence from Latin America
AU - Guerrero-Amezaga, Maria Elena
AU - Humphries, John Eric
AU - Neilson, Christopher A.
AU - Shimberg, Naomi
AU - Ulyssea, Gabriel
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank Princeton University’s Industrial Relations Section for financial support. We thank JPAL-LAC , IPA , ConsiliumBots and the over thirty research assistants, data scientists, and surveyors for their enthusiasm, eagerness, and energy while implementing the project during extremely difficult times at the beginning of the pandemic. For more information, see the project website at https://covid19sbs.org/ .
Funding Information:
We would like to thank Princeton University's Industrial Relations Section for financial support. We thank JPAL-LAC, IPA, ConsiliumBots and the over thirty research assistants, data scientists, and surveyors for their enthusiasm, eagerness, and energy while implementing the project during extremely difficult times at the beginning of the pandemic. For more information, see the project website at https://covid19sbs.org/.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
PY - 2022/3
Y1 - 2022/3
N2 - This paper studies the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on small businesses between March and November 2020 using new survey data on 35,000 small businesses in eight Latin American countries. We document that the pandemic had large negative impacts on employment and beliefs regarding the future, which in turn predict meaningful economic outcomes in the medium-term. Despite the unprecedented amount of aid, policies had limited impact for small and informal firms. These firms were less aware of programs, applied less, and received less assistance. This may have lasting consequences, as businesses that received aid reported better outcomes and expectations about the future.
AB - This paper studies the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on small businesses between March and November 2020 using new survey data on 35,000 small businesses in eight Latin American countries. We document that the pandemic had large negative impacts on employment and beliefs regarding the future, which in turn predict meaningful economic outcomes in the medium-term. Despite the unprecedented amount of aid, policies had limited impact for small and informal firms. These firms were less aware of programs, applied less, and received less assistance. This may have lasting consequences, as businesses that received aid reported better outcomes and expectations about the future.
KW - COVID-19
KW - Latin America
KW - Small business
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85120308879&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85120308879&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2021.102775
DO - 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2021.102775
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85120308879
SN - 0304-3878
VL - 155
JO - Journal of Development Economics
JF - Journal of Development Economics
M1 - 102775
ER -