American Economic Journal:
Economic Policy
ISSN 1945-7731 (Print) | ISSN 1945-774X (Online)
More than Words: Leaders' Speech and Risky Behavior during a Pandemic
American Economic Journal: Economic Policy
vol. 15,
no. 3, August 2023
(pp. 351–71)
(Complimentary)
Abstract
This paper investigates whether the anti-scientific rhetoric of modern populists can induce followers to engage in risky behavior. We gather electoral information, credit card expenses, and geo-localized mobile phone data for approximately 60 million devices in Brazil. After the president publicly dismissed the risks of the COVID-19 pandemic and challenged scientific recommendations, social distancing in pro-government localities declined. Consistently, credit card expenses increased immediately. Results are driven by localities with higher media penetration levels, active Twitter accounts, and a larger proportion of evangelical Christians, a critical electoral group.Citation
Ajzenman, Nicolás, Tiago Cavalcanti, and Daniel Da Mata. 2023. "More than Words: Leaders' Speech and Risky Behavior during a Pandemic." American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 15 (3): 351–71. DOI: 10.1257/pol.20210284Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D72 Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
- D91 Micro-Based Behavioral Economics: Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
- I12 Health Behavior
- I18 Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
- L82 Entertainment; Media
- O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
- Z12 Cultural Economics: Religion
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