Moral Force: Leaders’ Actions and Public Health Compliance in Crisis

Pré-publication, Document de travail: Charismatic leaders shape public sentiment but may weaken institutions by prioritizing personal appeal over trust in government. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mexican president disregarded stay-at-home guidelines. We assess the impact on social distancing using granular mobility and electoral data. Applying a dynamic difference-in-difference design and leveraging the timing of social distancing announcements and presidential support, we find increased mobility in pro-president areas, leading to 38% more COVID-19 cases and 21% more deaths. Our findings suggest the president's example, rather than partisan differences, drove these effects.

Auteur(s)

Federico N Daverio-Occhini, María Montoya-Aguirre, Máximo Ponce de León, L Guillermo Woo-Mora

Date de publication
  • 2024
Mots-clés JEL
D7 I12 Z13
Mots-clés
  • Leadership
  • COVID-19
  • Social distancing
  • Populism
Référence interne
  • PSE Working Papers n°2024-43
Version
  • 1