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Where did it hit harder? Understanding the geography of excess mortality during the COVID‐19 pandemic

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  • Marcos Díaz Ramírez
  • Paolo Veneri
  • Alexander C. Lembcke

Abstract

The health impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic across OECD (Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development) and European regions has been strikingly uneven. In 2020, excess mortality rates in the hardest‐hit regions were, on average, 17 percentage points higher than those in the least affected regions of the same country. This paper shows that low health system capacity, followed by population density, air pollution, the share of elderly people, and low institutional quality were associated with higher excess mortality during the first year of the pandemic. Finally, reduced home‐to‐work mobility, following governments' COVID‐19 responses, was associated with lower excess mortality 2 months after implementation of the measures.

Suggested Citation

  • Marcos Díaz Ramírez & Paolo Veneri & Alexander C. Lembcke, 2022. "Where did it hit harder? Understanding the geography of excess mortality during the COVID‐19 pandemic," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(3), pages 889-908, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jregsc:v:62:y:2022:i:3:p:889-908
    DOI: 10.1111/jors.12595
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    1. Alexandru Bănică & Ionel Muntele, 2023. "Local and regional factors of spatial differentiation of the excess mortality related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Romania," Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 1-21, December.
    2. Jens Fyhn Lykke Sørensen & Maiken Christiansen, 2022. "The Role of Economic Stress, Health Concerns, and Institutional Trust in Supporting Public Protests against COVID-19 Lockdown Measures in Denmark," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-18, December.
    3. Caria, Andrea & Delogu, Marco & Meleddu, Marta & Sotgiu, Giovanni, 2024. "People inflows as a pandemic trigger: Evidence from a quasi-experimental study," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    4. Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & Miquel Vidal-Bover, 2022. "Decentralisation, unfunded mandates, and the regional response to the covid-19 pandemic," Working Papers. Collection A: Public economics, governance and decentralization 2214, Universidade de Vigo, GEN - Governance and Economics research Network.
    5. Luca, Davide & Özgüzel, Cem & Wei, Zhiwu, 2024. "The spatially uneven diffusion of remote jobs in Europe," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 122651, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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