Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, countries on the same pandemic trajectory have adopted very different lockdown strategies. Using data for over 132 countries, and employing an event-study design, this paper identifies the role of political, economic and institutional factors in explaining the differential timing and intensity of stringency measures undertaken.
Keywords: COVID-19; Institutions; Lockdown measures; Stringency index.
© 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V.