This policy brief answers three main questions for the Jamaican economy: (a) Do remittances act as a safety net during negative health shocks? (b) Are remittances subject to moral hazard by receivers? (c) How does formal health insurance interact with remittances as a safety net during adverse health episodes? Evidence suggests that remittances offer full protection against … [Read more...] about Remittances as a Safety Net in Jamaica
policy brief
The Fear Factor a Back-Of-The-Envelope Calculation on the Economic Risk of an Ebola Scare in The Caribbean
This brief presents simulations of an Ebola scare in the Caribbean, including three highly tourism-dependent economies, The Bahamas, Barbados, and Jamaica. On the basis of the experience of Mexico in 2009 with swine flu, we simulate a short but sharp drop in tourist arrivals resulting from tourists' worries about Ebola. The Caribbean is special in that tourism contributes … [Read more...] about The Fear Factor a Back-Of-The-Envelope Calculation on the Economic Risk of an Ebola Scare in The Caribbean