Balancing speed and effectiveness : smoothing income volatility through COVID-19 social policy responses in Belgium

Abstract: With the ever-changing COVID-19 situation and social distancing measures globally, policy makers were confronted with the challenge of organising timely measures that would protect households against income shocks and volatile incomes. As they generally have fewer alternatives, low-income households are especially vulnerable to the long-term scarring effects caused by volatile incomes. As such, the rise in income volatility due to the dynamic nature of the pandemic calls into question the adequacy of welfare states and additional social support measures implemented. Concurrently, res... Mehr ...