Abstract
To better understand the impact of the shock induced by the COVID-19 pandemic on micro and small enterprises in Jordan and assess the policy responses in a rapidly changing context, reliable data is imperative, and the need to resort to a dynamic data collection tool at a time when countries in the region are in a state of flux cannot be overstated. The COVID-19 MENA Monitor Survey was led by the Economic Research Forum (ERF) to provide data for researchers and policy makers on the economic and labor market impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic on enterprises.
The ERF COVID-19 MENA Monitor Survey is constructed using a series of short panel phone surveys, that are conducted approximately every two months, and it will cover business closure (temporary/permanent) due to lockdowns, ability to telework/deliver the service, disruptions to supply chains (for inputs and outputs), loss of product markets, increased cost of supplies, worker layoffs, salary adjustments, access to lines of credit and delays in transportation. Understanding the strategies of enterprises (particularly micro and small enterprises) to cope with the crisis is one of the main objectives of this survey. Specific constraints such as weak access to the internet in some areas or laws constraining goods' delivery will be analyzed. Enterprise owners will also be asked about prospects for the future, including ability to stay open, and whether they benefited from any measures to support their businesses.
The ERF COVID-19 MENA Monitor Survey is a wide-ranging, nationally representative panel survey. The baseline wave of this dataset was collected in February 2021 and harmonized by the Economic Research Forum (ERF) and is featured as wave 1 for enterprise data. The survey is in the process of further expansion to include other waves.
The harmonization was designed to create comparable data that can facilitate cross-country and comparative research between other Arab countries (Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt). All the COVID-19 MENA Monitor surveys incorporate similar survey designs, with data on enterprises within Arab countries (Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia and Morocco).