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Unmasking the social policy responses of COVID-19 in four Southeast Asian nations: Institutional patterns and policy adjustment

Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work and Development Yuda, T., Kim, M., Pholpark, A., Rahman, H., 2022-11-8
Article on comparing the social policy responses to COVID-19 in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand using an institutionalist’s perspective. So far, the crisis expanded social protection through temporary schemes, with rare reforms, and opened greater possibilities for future institutionalisation of new policies. We argue that the COVID-19 policy responses must be viewed as an unfinished agenda of expansion-driven policy responses to the 1997–1998 financial crisis. Still, these are different sets of measures from the previous crisis, which have been characterised by minimal systemic changes. The variegated responses of countries reveal hitherto unexplored policy implications for the Southeast Asian region.
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  • COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Economic
  • Social Support and Protection
  • Asia
  • Indonesia
  • Malaysia
  • Philippines
  • Southeast Asia
  • Thailand
  • Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)
  • Country-level population(s)
  • Research
  • Article
  • Journal article

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Asia and the Pacific regional overview of food security and nutrition 2022: Urban food systems and nutrition – Launch recording, Key messages & Full report

  • Policy
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2023-01-24
Press release on the launch and key messages of the fifth annual Asia-Pacific regional SOFI report. The report’s highlights capture the challenges and system-level determinants of unhealthy diets in urban areas, both regarding undernutrition and overweight. It presents, among others, data on food security and affordability and the state of progress on achieving the global nutrition targets. The findings profile various urban environments, interventions, experiences, and opportunities to innovate at multiple levels to transform urban areas into sustainable cities. A link to the report's virtual launch event is available including the recording, key messages, and full report. View Source

Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on diets, nutrition services & nutrition practices in UNICEF’s Eastern and Southern Africa Region (ESAR): Evidence from remote surveys

  • Research
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  • COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Economic
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  • Health
  • Nutrition
  • Women and/or Girls
2023-01-01
Report on the impact of the COVID pandemic on diets, services, and practices in the Eastern and Southern Africa region. The report presents findings from remote surveys in six ESAR countries with data on breastfeeding, diet diversity, food consumption and insecurity, drivers of dietary changes, and disruptions to nutrition services. The survey provides important learning for the future use of remote methods for collecting nutrition data. Technical brief, pull report, and six country briefs are available. View Source

Economic shocks predict increases in child wasting prevalence

  • Research
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  • Journal article
  • COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Economic
  • Food Insecurity
  • Health
  • Nutrition
  • Other Crises
  • Social Support and Protection
2022-04-20
Article on the impact of severe negative economic shock on child acute malnutrition (wasting), a major risk factor for under-5 mortality. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) macroeconomic volatility is common, and severe negative economic shocks can substantially increase poverty and food insecurity. Less well understood are the implications of these contractions for child wasting. This study explores the nutritional impacts of economic growth shocks over 1990–2018 by linking wasting outcomes collected for 1.256 million children from 52 countries to lagged annual changes in economic growth. Estimates suggest that a 10% annual decline in national income increases moderate/severe wasting prevalence by 14.4–17.8%. An exploration of possible mechanisms suggests negative economic shocks may increase risks of inadequate dietary diversity among children. Applying these results to the latest economic growth estimates for 2020 suggests that COVID-19 could put an additional 9.4 million preschoolers at risk of wasting, net of the effects of preventative policy actions. View Source