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Pandemic Leadership: Did “Scientists” Lock Down More Quickly?

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  • Wehner, Joachim

    (London School of Economics and Political Science)

  • Hallerberg, Mark

Abstract

Commentators have suggested a link between leaders having a “science” background and the speed of lockdown after the outbreak of COVID-19. We examine possible underlying mechanisms and test this relationship empirically with a global dataset of the educational background of 188 leaders in office at the start of the pandemic. Using several statistical tests, we find no support for a systematic relationship between a leader having studied a natural science or medicine and the timing of the first lockdown. There are no systematic effects for female leaders and populists either. We caution against generalizations based on a small number of high-profile anecdotes about how certain leadership traits translate into different policy responses during the pandemic.

Suggested Citation

  • Wehner, Joachim & Hallerberg, Mark, 2021. "Pandemic Leadership: Did “Scientists” Lock Down More Quickly?," SocArXiv 9pazw, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:socarx:9pazw
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/9pazw
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Timothy Besley & Jose G. Montalvo & Marta Reynal‐Querol, 2011. "Do Educated Leaders Matter?," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 121(554), pages 205-205, August.
    2. Elizabeth Gibney, 2020. "Whose coronavirus strategy worked best? Scientists hunt most effective policies," Nature, Nature, vol. 581(7806), pages 15-16, May.
    3. Hallerberg, Mark & Wehner, Joachim, 2020. "When Do You Get Economists as Policy Makers?," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 50(3), pages 1193-1205, July.
    4. Ulrike Malmendier & Geoffrey Tate & Jon Yan, 2011. "Overconfidence and Early‐Life Experiences: The Effect of Managerial Traits on Corporate Financial Policies," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 66(5), pages 1687-1733, October.
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