PEP’s African office successfully led a major UNICEF-commissioned study on the “Impacts of the Global Economic Crisis on Children in West and Central Africa”. Local PEP research teams in Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Ghana conducted simulations of the impacts of the crisis and potential policy responses on various dimensions of child welfare - including income, calorie intake, school participation, child labor and access to health services.

This research project is among the first attempts to predict the effects of the global crisis on children, who are among the most vulnerable populations to economic down-turns in developing countries. Several ex-post studies have shown that past economic crisis have been especially detrimental to children in various dimensions of their well-being. In addition to increased mortality and malnutrition, economic crisis may have long term consequences on children as households adjust to falling incomes by diminishing spending on education and health for example. This, in turn, imperils the future development of a country.

As timely data monitoring child well-being are not readily available to guide the rapid implementation of policies to protect children, this study developed a predictive model that anticipates the impacts of the current crisis, as well as possible policy responses, on various dimensions of child welfare in the three above-mentioned countries of West and Central Africa.   

For more information on the global outcomes of this special regional initiative, see Policy Brief 72 (pdf, 107k)

Working Papers

• John Cockburn, Ismaël Fofana, Luca Tiberti (2010). Simulating the Impact of the Global Economic Crisis and Policy Responses on Children in West and Central Africa
• Samuel Kabore Tambi, Ismaël Fofana, John Cockburn, Lacina Balma, Luca Tiberti (2010). Simulation of the effects of the economic crisis and response policies on children in West and Central Africa: the case of Burkina Faso
• Christian Arnault Emini, Ismaël Fofana, John Cockburn, Luca Tiberti, Paul Ningaye, Sami Bibi (2010). Impacts of the global economic crisis on child poverty and options for a policy response in Cameroon
• Theodore Antwi-Asare, Ismaël Fofana, John Cockburn, Luca Tiberti (2010). Simulating the Impact of the Global Economic Crisis and Policy Responses on Children in Ghana

Policy Briefs

• Christian Arnault Emini, Paul Ningaye, John Cockburn, Ismaël Fofana, Luca Tiberti (2010). Incidences de la crise économique mondiale de 2008/09 et des options de politiques de réponse sur la pauvreté des enfants au Cameroun
• Theodore Antwi-Asare, John Cockburn, Ismaël Fofana, Luca Tiberti (2010). The Global Economic Crisis and Children:Effects and Policy Options in Ghana
• Lacina Balma, Samuel Kabore Tambi, Ismaël Fofana, John Cockburn, Luca Tiberti (2010). Simulation des effets de la crise économique et des politiques de réponse sur les enfants en Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre: Le cas du Burkina Faso
• Ismaël Fofana, John Cockburn, Luca Tiberti (2010). Global Economic Crisis and Children: Effects and Policy Options in West and Central Africa