Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP17143
Authors: Tim Besley; Sacha Dray
Abstract: This paper studies the role of free media in the responsiveness of governments and the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a panel data of daily COVID-19 deaths, mobility and lockdown decisions for all countries, we show that, as the initial number of deaths increased, governments were more likely to impose a lockdown and citizens reduced their mobility. To account for inaccuracies in death reporting, we simulate deaths from a calibrated SEIR model as an instrument for reported deaths. Using this approach, we find that responsiveness to deaths was limited to governments and citizens in free-media countries, and responsiveness account for 40\% of the difference in lockdown decision and mobility between free-media and censored-media countries. In support of the role of free media, we show that differences in responsiveness are not explained by a range of other country characteristics such as the level of income, education or democracy. We also find evidence that citizens with access to free media were better informed about the pandemic and had more responsive levels of online searches about COVID-19.
Keywords: COVID-19; lockdown; media freedom; responsiveness
JEL Codes: D72; D78; L82
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| initial number of COVID-19 deaths (I12) | likelihood of lockdown implementation (C53) |
| initial number of COVID-19 deaths (I12) | reduction in mobility (J62) |
| initial number of COVID-19 deaths (I12) | increase in time at home (J29) |
| media freedom (M38) | government responsiveness to COVID-19 deaths (H12) |
| media freedom (M38) | citizen responsiveness to COVID-19 deaths (H12) |
| differences in responsiveness (H73) | disparity in lockdown decisions (H73) |
| media freedom (M38) | public awareness and compliance during health crises (H12) |