Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP14866
Authors: Alina Bartscher; Sebastian Seitz; Sebastian Siegloch; Michaela Slotwinski; Nils Wehrhfer
Abstract: We investigate the effect of social capital on health outcomes during the Covid-19 pandemic in independent analyses for Austria, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. Exploiting detailed geographical variation within countries, we show that a one-standard-deviation increase in social capital leads to between 14% and 34% fewer Covid-19 cases per capita accumulated from mid-March until end of June 2020, as well as between 6% and 35% fewer excess deaths per capita. Our results highlight the positive health returns of strengthening social capital.
Keywords: COVID-19; Social Capital; Collective Action; Health Costs; Europe
JEL Codes: D04; A13; D91; H11; H12; I10; I18
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Social Capital (Z13) | COVID-19 Cases (Y10) |
| Social Capital (Z13) | Excess Deaths (I12) |
| Social Capital (Z13) | Responsible Behavior (M14) |
| Responsible Behavior (M14) | COVID-19 Cases (Y10) |
| Social Capital (Z13) | Death Prevention (I12) |
| Social Capital (Z13) | Growth Rate of COVID-19 Cases (O57) |
| High Social Capital Areas (Z13) | COVID-19 Cases (Y10) |