Informal Settlements,Pandemic and Consequences: A Cross-Country Analysis

Abstract

This article focused on the informal settlements and the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable populations using a data set that covers many countries. We sample 47 cross-country data and employ political ecology and economic contagion to empirically respond to two related questions: What is the impact of pandemics on informal settlement dwellers? How can governments address pandemics among informal settlement dwellers? Our results show that the risk factors for informal settlements concerning COVID-19 include the degree of trade openness, the death rate, family size, population density, geography and airport activity. This article offers several innovations on measures, determinants and the impact of pandemics on vulnerable populations across the globe. By extension, our results have important policy implications for governments in addressing the inequalities between formal and informal settlements during pandemics.