Poverty and social security in time of crisis: lessons (to be) learned during the Covid-19 pandemic: Poster

The measures taken by governments in the spring of 2020 with lockdowns were of special relevance for economic life in Switzerland. Which groups were affected most is strongly shaped by the economic set-up, the measures taken to stop the spread and the social benefits to dampen the consequences.
Conclusive studies are missing, and it is not known how inequality and poverty rates evolved during the pandemic. Our large-scale study using administrative data will provide a much more complete picture of the role of the regular instruments of the social security system and the efficacy of the special corona measures. It seems crucial to systematically reflect on the role of non-governmental organizations for social security during the Covid-19 pandemic and in future crises. The pandemic also highlighted the urgent need for poverty indicators that deliver information promptly. Public statistics and administrative data only become available after a period of up to 3 years, making targeted crisis management difficult.