Consequences of the Covid-19 crisis on Social Inequalities and Convivial Relations in Three Paraguayan Border Cities

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Building on previous theoretical elaboration, the research project explores how the COVID-19 pandemic and its containment measures have affected different convivial spheres (family, neighborhood, public spaces) and the dynamics of production and reproduction of social inequalities in the three most important border cities of Paraguay: Asunción (the capital city), Ciudad del Este, and Encarnación. These are the main crossing points between Paraguay and its border countries (Argentina and Brazil), however, the level of integration and interrelation of these cities with their foreign neighbors varies widely. While Ciudad del Este relies heavily on border trade to keep its economy running, Asunción does not. Encarnación, for its part, occupies an intermediate position, relying both on border trade and the agro-industrial sector. Along these lines, the impact that border closures have had on the economy and convivial interactions in these cities differs from one case to the other. The project will combine a quantitative approach (survey) and a qualitative one (focus groups), allowing to identify different impacts of the containment measures regarding factors such as gender, social stratum, ethnicity, and region. By focusing on Paraguay, the project enables a deeper understanding of how people in countries with high levels of inequality, elevated degrees of informality and lack of social security were affected by Covid-19 containment measures, and how the population organized to cope with these difficult circumstances. The results will not only offer a description of the situation in the selected cities but will also make it possible to compare how the closure of borders affected their inhabitants, inviting further discussions of different models of integration in border regions.