*joint work with J. Friedman, A Mendes, S Pennings and N Yonzan

Speaker：Benoit Decerf [The World Bank]

Date：March 4, 2024／15:00‐16:40 (JST)

Location：Room 104, Conference Room 2, 1F, Institute of Social Science, Hongo Campus, the University of Tokyo
                https://www.iss.u-tokyo.ac.jp/guide/

Language：English

Target : Open to the public

Abstract：This study compares the magnitude of the losses that the COVID-19 pandemic inflicted across three critical dimensions: loss of life, loss of income, and loss of learning. The wellbeing consequences of excess mortality are expressed in years of life lost while those of income losses and school closures are expressed in additional years spent in poverty (as measured by national poverty lines), either currently or in the future. The estimates of wellbeing loss for the average global citizen include a loss of almost 3 weeks of life (19 days), an additional two and half weeks spent in poverty in the years 2020 and 2021 (17 days), and the possibility of an additional month of life in poverty in the future due to school closures (31 days). While the 2020-2021 period witnessed the largest one-year increase in global poverty in many decades, widespread school closure may cause an increase in future poverty almost twice as large. Wellbeing losses are also not equitably distributed across countries. The typical high-income country suffered more total years of life lost than additional years in poverty, while the opposite holds for the typical low- or middle-income country. High-income countries suffered less wellbeing loss than lower income countries unless a year of life lost is valued at least as much as six additional years spent in poverty.