The economic reaction to non-pharmaceutical interventions during Covid-19

Policy makers have implemented a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to contain the spread of Covid-19 and reduce the burden on health systems. These restrictive measures have had adverse effects on economic activity; however, these negative impacts differ with respect to each country. Based on daily data, this article studies governmental economic responses to the application of NPIs for 59 countries. Furthermore, we assess if these economic responses differ according to the economic and sectoral context of the countries. By applying a counting model to the economic support intensity, our results quantify the average reaction of governments in counterbalancing the imposition of NPIs. We further re-estimate the base model by dividing the countries according to their GDP per capita, the intensity of their service sectors, and the expenditure by tourists. Our results show how each NPI implied a different level of economic support and how the structural characteristics considered were relevant to the decision-making process. (C) 2021 Economic Society of Australia, Queensland. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Automated summary

This study examines the economic responses to non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) for Covid-19 in 59 countries and finds that the level of economic support varies among countries. Additionally, the analysis evaluates if these responses differ based on the economic and sectoral context, showing the relevance of structural characteristics in the decision-making process.