Favara, M., Quigua, J., & Sánchez, A. (2025). Life-Course Shocks and Food Insecurity: Longitudinal Evidence from Ethiopia, India, and Peru.  http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5821902

This study investigates the relationship between life-cycle exposure to socioeconomic shocks and subsequent food insecurity in young adult households. Using two decades of longitudinal data (2002-2023) from the Young Lives study in Ethiopia, India, and Peru, we analyse how the timing of shocks influences current household food security. Our findings consistently demonstrate a significant association between recent shock exposure and food insecurity in 2023 across all countries. Crucially, in Ethiopia, exposure to shocks dating back more than a decade, as well as shocks that occurred between 2020 and 2021, are significantly associated with current food insecurity, the first highlighting the long-term, cumulative nature of food insecurity in this country, the second pointing to the persistent detrimental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the armed conflict in this country. Weather-related events, illness or death of a family member, and loss of income or purchasing power all correlate with increased food insecurity, even after controlling for correlations between shocks. Overall, our findings emphasize the importance of social assistance following exposure to shocks and of a life-cycle perspective when formulating policy responses to mitigate persistent food insecurity.