Working Paper: NBER ID: w29092
Authors: John F. Helliwell; Max B. Norton; Shun Wang; Lara B. Aknin; Haifang Huang
Abstract: A well-being approach requires looking beyond COVID-19 deaths to compare the performance of elimination versus mitigation strategies as measured by other important supports for well-being. What do the data show? Our comparison based on 2020 data shows a virus elimination strategy to be more successful than other options, whether measured in terms of COVID-19 deaths, overall excess deaths, income, unemployment, trust, or mental and physical health. Countries that chose and followed a strategy of reducing community transmission to zero and keeping it there saved lives and better protected income and employment, all without obvious costs to either the social fabric or the mental health of their populations.
Keywords: COVID-19; wellbeing; virus elimination; mitigation; public health
JEL Codes: H12; H51; I14; I18; I31
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Virus elimination strategy (K24) | Lower COVID-19 death rates (I14) |
| Virus elimination strategy (K24) | Better economic outcomes (income and employment) (E24) |
| Virus elimination strategy (K24) | Positive impact on mental and physical health outcomes (I14) |