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Europe > Latvia, Republic of

You are looking at 1 - 7 of 7 items for :

  • Type: Journal Issue x
  • Health economics x
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Cover IMF Working Papers
Far More Than a Shot in the Arm: Vaccines and Consumer Spending
Mr. Serhan Cevik
The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and government interventions have reshaped economic activity with abrupt changes in household consumption behavior across the world. This paper provides an empirical investigation of how the COVID-19 vaccine rollout has affected consumer spending at daily frequency using debit and credit card transactions in three European countries. Empirical results show that COVID-19 vaccinations, along with other policy interventions, have mitigated the severe negative impact of the pandemic and boosted consumer spending. First, the vaccination deployment has a statistically and economically significant positive effect on private consumption. Second, other policy responses to the pandemic—designed to contain the spread of the virus and provide support to businesses and households—have significant effects on the amount and composition of debit and credit card transactions. Third, the impact of COVID-19 vaccinations in terms of stimulating consumer spending appears to be more pronounced on contact-intensive sectors such as services than goods.
Keywords:
Pandemic; COVID-19; vaccination; household behavior; consumer spending; card transactions; Baltics; Estonia; Latvia; Lithuania; vaccine rollout; credit card transactions; vaccination deployment; government intervention; vaccination effort; Consumer credit; Household consumption
Cover IMF Working Papers
Good Will Hunting: Do Disasters Make Us More Charitable?
Mr. Serhan Cevik
Humans are usually compassionate, caring and empathetic toward others, but are we really hardwired for altruism when a disaster hits? There is evidence that people exposed to natural disasters tend to behave more philanthropically, but most studies rely on small-scale surveys and experimental data. For that reason, this paper contributes to the literature by investigating whether the COVID-19 pandemic has altered prosocial tendencies and charitable donations, using a novel daily dataset of debit and credit card transactions. I conduct a real-time analysis of actual charitable donations in three European countries and find that the COVID-19 pandemic and government interventions have no significant effect on how much people contribute to charities as a share of total spending. A higher preference for precautionary savings in the midst of the pandemic appears to outweigh altruistic behavior, while government welfare programs crowds out private charitable donations.
Keywords:
Natural disasters; COVID-19 pandemic; charitable giving; donations; genorosity; prosocial behavior; card transactions; Baltics; Estonia; Latvia; Lithania; credit card transactions; government welfare program; real-time analysis; government intervention; pandemic shock; COVID-19; Consumer credit; Total expenditures; Global
Cover IMF Working Papers
Show Me the Money: Tracking Consumer Spending with Daily Card Transaction Data During the Pandemic
Mr. Serhan Cevik
The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented shock to economic activity with abrupt and unexpected changes in household consumption behavior. This paper investigates how the spread of the pandemic and government interventions have affected consumer spending using daily card transaction data in the Baltics. The analysis shows significant effects on the amount and composition of debit and credit card transactions. First, the number of new COVID-19 infections or deaths has a strongly negative effect. Second, while public health measures designed to contain the spread of the pandemic has a negative effect, economic support measures designed to assist businesses and households have a stimulative effect. Third, there is heterogeneity across spending categories, but the drop is mostly concentrated in sectors that are restricted by lockdowns and the risk of infection. Fourth, the impact of government interventions, especially in terms of stimulating consumer spending, appears to be more pronounced on goods than services.
Keywords:
Pandemic; consumer spending; card transactions; Baltics; Estonia; Latvia; Lithuania; euro area; transition economies; household consumption behavior; credit card transactions; stimulating consumer spending; government intervention; consumer spending pattern; credit card transaction data; COVID-19; Consumer credit; Consumption; Household consumption
Cover IMF Research Bulletin
IMF Research Bulletin, March 2014
International Monetary Fund
The Research Summaries in the March 2014 Research Bulletin focus on efficiency of health expenditure (Francesco Grigoli and Javier Kapsoli) and employment growth in European Union countries (Bas B. Bakker and Li Zeng). The Q&A article looks at “Seven Questions on Financial Interconnectedness” (Co-Pierre Georg and Camelia Minoiu). The Research Bulletin also includes a listing of IMF Working Papers, Staff Discussion Notes, and Recommended Readings from the IMF Bookstore. Information on the IMF Economic Review—the research journal of the IMF—is also provided.
Keywords:
IRB; IMF research bulletin; bulletin; research; IMF bookstore; research journal; Thomson Reuters journal citation; IMF research; journal of the International Monetary Fund; Employment; Health care spending; Financial contagion; Expenditure efficiency; Global; Asia and Pacific; Western Hemisphere; Middle East and Central Asia; Europe; Africa
Cover IMF Staff Country Reports
Bulgaria: Selected Issues Paper
International Monetary Fund. European Dept.
This Selected Issues paper reviews recent developments in growth and employment in Bulgaria and highlights key constraints to growth suggested by cross-country competitiveness studies. Bulgaria’s GDP has grown substantially since economic and financial stabilization in 1997. The global economic crisis had a major effect on Bulgarian growth and employment. After falling by 5½ percent in 2009, real GDP has grown at a low rate, and by 2012 real GDP was still 3 percent short of its 2008 level. However, employment growth was negative during 2009–2012, and the first small uptick occurred only in 2013.
Keywords:
ISCR; CR; Bulgaria; GDP; crisis; health system's performance; population risk; EU country; NSI Bulgaria; crisis response; crisis experience; Social assistance spending; Employment; Health care spending; Pension spending; Income; Global; Eastern Europe; Europe
Cover IMF Working Papers
Health and Education Expenditures in Russia, the Baltic States, and the Other Countries of the Former Soviet Union
Mr. Mark A Horton
Russia, the Baltic states and the other countries of the former Soviet Union inherited health and education systems that were in need of substantial structural and financial reform. In spite of a sharp decline of real resources, this reform has barely begun. While health and education have not suffered disproportionate cuts, employment has been maintained, with real wages sharply compressed, purchases of materials reduced and energy-related spending taking a greater share of resources in many countries. Structural and financial reform would include reducing staffing and physical capacity, while increasing expenditures for materials and wages for the more highly qualified.
Keywords:
WP; expenditure; real wage; wage; education expenditure; country; education wage bill; wages in health; health wage; teacher salary; education sector; Health care spending; Education spending; Total expenditures; Baltics
Cover Finance & Development
Finance & Development, December 1993
International Monetary Fund. External Relations Dept.
For the latest thinking about the international financial system, monetary policy, economic development, poverty reduction, and other critical issues, subscribe to Finance & Development (F&D). This lively quarterly magazine brings you in-depth analyses of these and other subjects by the IMF’s own staff as well as by prominent international experts. Articles are written for lay readers who want to enrich their understanding of the workings of the global economy and the policies and activities of the IMF.
Keywords:
FD; F&D; country; Visa credit cards; expenditure; ruble; NLTPS leadership group; book title; Policy coordination; interest rate liberalization; Currencies; Natural resources; Sustainable development; Global; Africa; Eastern Europe; East Asia; Middle East