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Published on: November 10, 2023
Information and behavioral responses during a pandemic: Evidence from delays in Covid-19 death reports
Emilio Gutierrez1, Adrian Rubli2, Tiago Tavares3
1Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), Department of Economics, Camino a Santa Teresa 930. Colonia Heroes de Padierna, Magdalena Contreras CDMX 10700, Mexico.
Abstract:
Providing information is important for managing epidemics, but issues with data accuracy may hinder its effectiveness. Focusing on Covid-19 in Mexico, we ask whether delays in death reports affect individuals' beliefs and behavior. Exploiting administrative data and an online survey, we provide evidence that behavior, and consequently the evolution of the pandemic, are considerably different when death counts are presented by date reported rather than by date occurred, due to non-negligible reporting delays. We then use an equilibrium model incorporating an endogenous behavioral response to illustrate how reporting delays lead to slower individual responses, and consequently, worse epidemic outcomes.
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