We use a regression discontinuity design to study the impacts of a noncontributory pension program covering one-third of Bolivian households during the COVID-19 pandemic. Becoming eligible for the program during the crisis increased the probability that households had a week's worth of food stocked by 25% and decreased the probability of going hungry by 40%. Although the program was not designed to provide emergency assistance, it provided unintended positive impacts during the crisis. The program's effects on hunger were particularly large for households that lost their livelihoods during the crisis and for low-income households. The results suggest that, during a systemic crisis, a preexisting near-universal pension program can quickly deliver positive impacts in line with the primary goals of a social safety net composed of an income-targeted cash transfer and an unemployment insurance program.

我们使用断点回归设计来研究 COVID-19 大流行期间覆盖玻利维亚三分之一家庭的非缴款养老金计划的影响。在危机期间获得该计划的资格可以使家庭拥有一周食物储备的可能性增加 25%，并将挨饿的可能性降低 40%。尽管该计划并非旨在提供紧急援助，但它在危机期间产生了意想不到的积极影响。对于在危机期间失去生计的家庭和低收入家庭来说，该计划对饥饿的影响尤其大。结果表明，在系统性危机期间，现有的近乎全民养老金计划可以迅速产生积极影响，符合由以收入为目标的现金转移支付和失业保险计划组成的社会安全网的主要目标。