A new G²LM|LIC working paper by Ragui Assaad, Caroline Krafft, and Jackline Wahba titled “The Lives and Livelihoods of the Displaced in Sudan: Internally Displaced Persons and Refugees” offers an in-depth analysis of the conditions faced by Sudan’s 1.1 million refugees and 3.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). Utilizing data from the Sudan Labor Market Panel Survey (SLMPS) 2022, which over-sampled locations hosting displaced populations, the study examines the geographic distribution, demographics, labor market participation, socioeconomic status, education, health, and food security of these groups. Find the paper for download here.
Latest News
New Working Papers Published!
A new G²LM|LIC working paper titled “Labor Market Dynamics in Sudan through Political Upheaval and Pandemic” by Ragui Assaad, Caroline Krafft, and Sarah Wahby studied the impact of recent shocks on Sudan’s economy, society, and labor market. The study examines job finding and labor market entry dynamics, unemployment durations, and employment exits during this turbulent period. Find the paper for download here.
A new chapter from the project “Advancing Data Capacity for Policy Innovation in Sudan” by Caroline Krafft and Heather Moylan studied women’s economic empowerment in Sudan, with an emphasis on their agency and assets. Utilizing data from the nationally representative Sudan Labor Market Panel Survey 2022, the study compares agency and assets by gender. Find the paper for download here.
Another working paper titled “Gender, Work, and Time Use in the Context of a Low-Income Agrarian Economy: The Case of Sudan” by Ragui Assaad, Caroline Krafft, and Vishal Jamkar, part of the “Advancing Data Capacity for Policy Innovation in Sudan” project, examines the broad spectrum of economic work activities by gender, including wage employment, self-employment, and unpaid family labor, covering both remunerative and subsistence activities. Find the paper for download here.
G²LM|LIC Policy Meeting on April 18, 2024: Boosting Women’s Labour Force Participation – Evidence from Western and Sub-Saharan Africa
Thank you to all speakers, Andy Hinsley from FCDO for contributing the introductory remarks and all participants for an interesting discussion!
The online workshop assembled recent empirical evidence on possibilities to improve the position of women in the labour market and their access to it in Western and Sub-Saharan Africa and discusses policy solutions. The presentations focused on the benefits of education, social networks, entrepreneurship and the public and private sector. All evidence presented is based on projects funded via the G²LM|LIC programme.
Please find the programme here.
Our newest publications
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The Lives and Livelihoods of the Displaced in Sudan: Internally Displaced Persons and Refugees
As of 2022, Sudan was home to 1.1 million refugees and 3.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), along with a substantial population that had previously experienced displacement. The Sudan Labor Market Panel Survey (SLMPS) 2022 over-sampled locations hosting the displaced in order to facilitate research on refugees and IDPs. This paper investigates the geographic distribution of the displaced, their demographics, their labor market and socioeconomic status and outcomes, and their education, health, food security outcomes. It also reviews their experiences of shocks, their coping strategies, and the types of social assistance they receive. Important distinctions are made between current and returned IDPs and refugees and their outcomes are compared to those of Sudanese who were never displaced. Analyses also explore differences by location of residence (in host communities and camps), by sex, and across different age groups.
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Gender, Work, and Time Use in the Context of a Low-Income Agrarian Economy: The Case of Sudan
Sudan is a primarily agrarian economy. Formal employment or even wage employment comprises a relatively small proportion of the productive activities in which individuals engage. In this paper we examine the broad spectrum of involvement in economic work activities by gender, including wage employment, self employment and unpaid family labor, both in activities for the purpose of pay or profit (employment) as well as in subsistence activities. Along with gender, we assess the variation in work patterns by urban/rural location, education, and marital status. Given the agrarian nature of Sudan’s economy, we delve in more detail into the gender division of labor in agriculture, including participation in crop production, animal rearing, and other agricultural activities, distinguishing between primary roles and support roles in these activities. We end the paper by looking at the interplay between work and other time uses such as paid and unpaid care work and the gender division of labor in time use.
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Women’s Economic Empowerment in Sudan: Assets and Agency
This chapter investigates women’s economic empowerment in Sudan, with a particular focus on their agency and assets. The analyses use the nationally-representative Sudan Labor Market Panel Survey 2022 data and compare agency and assets by gender. Rights to parcels, livestock, durables, mobile phones, and financial assets are explored, along with gender role attitudes, justification of domestic violence, mobility, and decision making. The findings show how agency and assets evolve over the life course differently for men and women, with empowerment often diminishing at marriage for women but rising for men.
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Labor Market Dynamics in Sudan through Political Upheaval and Pandemic
Sudan’s economy, society, and labor market have experienced a large number of shocks since Sudan’s last household survey in 2014/15. Pre-existing political and economic challenges contributed to the revolution in 2018 and substantial political change in 2019, followed by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and further political and economic turmoil in 2021-2022. The new Sudan Labor Market Panel Survey 2022 provides an important opportunity to understand labor market dynamics in Sudan during this turbulent period. Both contemporaneous and retrospective data allow the creation and analysis of monthly statuses and transitions throughout the 2015-2021 period. The paper specifically examines the dynamics of job finding and entry into the labor market, unemployment durations, and employment exits. The results show the increased difficulties in entering employment as Sudan was beset by shocks.
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What Works to Close Digital Gender Gaps?
Mobile phones can help individuals access information, networks, and resources, allowing them to benefit both socially and economically. Yet in many lower-income countries, women lag men in phone ownership and usage for a variety of economic and normative reasons. We investigate two approaches to closing digital gender gaps. The first is a statewide program, which distributed millions of smartphones, along with free data, to women across the state of Chhattisgarh in central India. In the second study, we layered digital literacy training on top of the smartphone distribution program. Despite initially reversing the gender gap in smartphone ownership, the smartphone distribution program had no long-term impact on digital gender gaps. In contrast, low-cost digital literacy training had lasting impacts, reducing digital gender gaps and increasing women’s smartphone use. Digital literacy training also improved women’s connection with others and mental health, highlighting important areas that phones can improve women’s well-being in settings where their mobility and networks are limited.