The unintended consequences of confinement: Evidence from the rural area in Guatemala

Individual and social preferences have shown to be important factors in individual decision making and general economic performance. Yet, they are usually assumed as given and stable, underestimating their impact in the rhythm of economic recovery after a natural disaster or pandemic. This paper exa...

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Main Authors: Castillo, Jose Gabriel, Hernandez, Manuel A.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/139969
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author Castillo, Jose Gabriel
Hernandez, Manuel A.
author_browse Castillo, Jose Gabriel
Hernandez, Manuel A.
author_facet Castillo, Jose Gabriel
Hernandez, Manuel A.
author_sort Castillo, Jose Gabriel
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Individual and social preferences have shown to be important factors in individual decision making and general economic performance. Yet, they are usually assumed as given and stable, underestimating their impact in the rhythm of economic recovery after a natural disaster or pandemic. This paper examines the effects of COVID-19 initial confinement on households’ individual and social preferences across small communities in the rural area of Guatemala. We use a comprehensive panel household survey of agricultural smallholders collected during two survey rounds in 2019, prior to the pandemic, and 2020 and find that preferences generally shifted following the onset of the pandemic. We observe a significant increase in risk tolerance, deteriorated perceptions towards trust and generosity, and a higher frequency of emotional issues, while intra-household relationships remain stable. We find that experiencing a household adverse situation, a higher degree of exposure to the virus, and more stringent local confinement measures shaped several of the variations in preferences. The focus of the study on a region with high poverty and malnutrition rates offers important insights of the consequences of confinement on perceptions and attitudes in complex and vulnerable rural contexts during the wake of a public health emergency.
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spelling CGSpace1399692025-10-26T13:01:45Z The unintended consequences of confinement: Evidence from the rural area in Guatemala Castillo, Jose Gabriel Hernandez, Manuel A. movement restrictions coronavirus covid-19 risk prevention smallholders coronavirinae disease control coronavirus disease risk rural areas Individual and social preferences have shown to be important factors in individual decision making and general economic performance. Yet, they are usually assumed as given and stable, underestimating their impact in the rhythm of economic recovery after a natural disaster or pandemic. This paper examines the effects of COVID-19 initial confinement on households’ individual and social preferences across small communities in the rural area of Guatemala. We use a comprehensive panel household survey of agricultural smallholders collected during two survey rounds in 2019, prior to the pandemic, and 2020 and find that preferences generally shifted following the onset of the pandemic. We observe a significant increase in risk tolerance, deteriorated perceptions towards trust and generosity, and a higher frequency of emotional issues, while intra-household relationships remain stable. We find that experiencing a household adverse situation, a higher degree of exposure to the virus, and more stringent local confinement measures shaped several of the variations in preferences. The focus of the study on a region with high poverty and malnutrition rates offers important insights of the consequences of confinement on perceptions and attitudes in complex and vulnerable rural contexts during the wake of a public health emergency. 2023-03 2024-03-14T12:08:47Z 2024-03-14T12:08:47Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/139969 en https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.12629 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abc4765 https://doi.org/10.1111/agec.12623 https://doi.org/10.2499/p15738coll2.135934 Open Access Elsevier Castillo, Jose Gabriel; and Hernandez, Manuel A. 2023. The unintended consequences of confinement: Evidence from the rural area in Guatemala. Journal of Economic Psychology 95(March 2023): 102587. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2022.102587
spellingShingle movement restrictions
coronavirus
covid-19
risk prevention
smallholders
coronavirinae
disease control
coronavirus disease
risk
rural areas
Castillo, Jose Gabriel
Hernandez, Manuel A.
The unintended consequences of confinement: Evidence from the rural area in Guatemala
title The unintended consequences of confinement: Evidence from the rural area in Guatemala
title_full The unintended consequences of confinement: Evidence from the rural area in Guatemala
title_fullStr The unintended consequences of confinement: Evidence from the rural area in Guatemala
title_full_unstemmed The unintended consequences of confinement: Evidence from the rural area in Guatemala
title_short The unintended consequences of confinement: Evidence from the rural area in Guatemala
title_sort unintended consequences of confinement evidence from the rural area in guatemala
topic movement restrictions
coronavirus
covid-19
risk prevention
smallholders
coronavirinae
disease control
coronavirus disease
risk
rural areas
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/139969
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