Show the Community: _*The Limits of Reopening Policy to Alter Economic Behavior: New Evidence from Texas.*_

Wanted to share this work by @Dhaval, Joseph J. Sabia, and @Samuel_Safford_San_Diego_State_University titled The Limits of Reopening Policy to Alter Economic Behavior: New Evidence from Texas. Check out the full paper here! :point_left:

This is a fascinating paper exploring the relationship between social distancing mandates, economic activity, and COVID-19 rates. A topic that has deeply divided politicians, some believed lifting the mandates would bring a surge in economic activity, while others believed lifting the mandates would bring a surge in COVID-19 case and death rates. This study finds both sides were wrong, a result that persisted regardless of urban vs rural or political affiliation at the county level. The work provides evidence that individuals’ risk-related beliefs are a larger factor in social distancing behavior than government mandates.

Would love to hear any thoughts or questions that you have for the others! Be sure to drop them in this thread for the authors!


This topic was automatically generated from Slack. You can find the original thread here.

Hey @Dhaval and @Samuel_Safford_San_Diego_State_University! This study makes immediately reminds me of Erroneous Beliefs and Political Approval: Evidence from the Coronavirus Pandemic that I shared a few weeks back. Connecting the dots between these two papers, I think (a) people’s actions are primarily determined by their risk-related beliefs and (b) people’s risk-related beliefs are often misguided. It’s a rather pessimistic takeaway, but I’d love to know what either of you think about this interpretation.