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
Mots-clés
- Leadership
- COVID-19
- Social distancing
- Populism
Référence interne
- PSE Working Papers n°2024-43
URL de la notice HAL
Version
- 1