Journal of Economics and Management Volume 20, No. 2 September, 2024

Financial Hardship and Consumption Expenditure among Urban Slum-Dwellers During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Dhaka, Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study

Nobinkhor Kundu

Department of Economics, Comilla University, Bangladesh

Mst. Shumsunnahar

Department of Public Administration, Comilla University, Bangladesh

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the financial hardship among the urban slum dwellers in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Financial hardship is the main obstacle to ensuring socio-economic quality of life. A total of 408 slum dwellers were selected using a multi-stage sampling technique from three big slum areas of Dhaka from March to April 2022. The results of the study revealed that there was a significant relationship between the objectives of this study during COVID-19. We found a significant relationship between financial hardship and monthly income during a pandemic and a change in consumption expenditure pattern and monthly income during a pandemic, which are both statistically highly significant. Moreover, we also found that the significant relationships between financial hardship and loss of work or job during a pandemic as a dummy and change in consumption expenditure pattern and loss of work or job during a pandemic as a dummy, which are both statistically significant. The model explains 37.31 percent of the variability in financial hardship, according to the R2 value is 37.31 percent and Adj-R2 value is 36.21 percent.

Keywords：Slum-Dweller, COVID-19, Cross-section data, financial hardship, Bangladesh

JEL Classifications：R10, R51, N95

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