The effect of income support programs on job search, workplace mobility and COVID-19: International evidence.

This study examines the effect of Income Support Programs (ISPs) on job search effort, work- place mobility, COVID-19 cases, and mortality growth rates. To identify ISPs' causal effect, I use the variation in their introductions' timing across countries and implement a difference-in-difference and multi-event analysis method. I find that ISPs led to a 4.4-8.29 percentage points reduction in workplace mobility and a 6.6-11.6 percentage points reduction in job search effort levels. They also caused a 21.8-47.7 and 17.1-29.7 percentage points reduction in the COVID-19 case growth rate and COVID-19 mortality growth rates, respectively. Using the event analysis estimates, I simulated the counterfactual job search effort, workplace mobility, and the number of COVID-19 cases and mortality without income support programs. The average global job search effort and workplace mobility without ISPs would have been 11.12 and 9.26 percent higher than the observed mean job search effort and workplace mobility. However, these would have come at the cost of 3.69 million and 166, 690 additional COVID-19 cases and mortality than the cases and deaths registered by May 15th.

Income assurances are a crucial factor in determining public compliance with self-isolation regulations during the COVID-19 outbreak - cohort study in Israel.

BACKGROUND: The outbreak of a new Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) poses dramatic challenges to public health authorities worldwide. One measure put in place to contain the spread of the disease is self-quarantine of individuals who may have been exposed to the disease. While officials expect the public to comply with such regulation, studies suggest that a major obstacle to compliance for self-quarantine is concern over loss of income or employment due to the prolonged absence from work. METHODS: A cohort study of the adult population of Israel was conducted in two time points during the COVID-19 outbreak, the last week of February and the third week of March 2020, in order to assess public attitudes. In particular, public compliance rates to self-quarantine with and without State-sponsored compensation for lost wages were assessed. RESULTS: The results suggest that public attitudes changed as the threat increased, making people more compliant with regulations. In February 2020, compliance rate for self-quarantine dropped from 94% to less than 57% when monetary compensation for lost wages was removed; however, in March 2020 this drop became more moderate (from 96 to 71%). The multivariate logistic regression revealed that older, non-Jewish, worried over COVID-19, and trusting the Ministry of Health were more likely than their counterparts to comply with self-isolation, even when monetary compensation was not assumed. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the effects of threat on people's obedience with regulations, this study demonstrates that providing people with assurances about their livelihood during absence from work remains an important component in compliance with public health regulations.