# Savings behaviour and livelihoods before and after COVID-19 – a four round panel dataset from Pune, India

## TL;DR

This study tracks how a savings device and the pandemic affected income, spending, and livelihoods among slum dwellers in Pune, India, over four years.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a novel RCT-based panel dataset examining savings behavior and pandemic impacts on livelihoods in urban slums.

## Key findings

- A portable savings device reduced temptation spending and increased savings among participants.
- The pandemic significantly disrupted livelihoods and consumption patterns among slum dwellers in Pune.
- Phone interviews enabled continued data collection during lockdowns, maintaining a balanced panel of participants.

## Abstract

The data collected for this study focuses on two research question. First, it examines the effectiveness of a portable saving device in reducing temptation spending and increasing savings using a Randomised Control Trial (RCT) design. We then build on the data collected for RCT among slum dwellers in Pune, India and expand the scope of data collection to examine the long-term effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on livelihoods and consumption expenditure. Detailed information on income, savings, expenditure, knowledge about and behaviour during the pandemic was collected during various rounds. Additional information on female empowerment, decision making within the household and behavioural parameters was also collected. Four rounds of data were collected - two rounds before COVID-19 in 2018 and 2019 through field interviews, and two rounds in 2020 and 2022 through phone interviews. The baseline sample consisted of 1525 slum dwellers who earned above subsistence level income in Pune, and we have a balanced panel of 411 individuals.