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What motivates non-democratic leadership: Evidence from COVID-19 reopenings in China

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  • Fisman, Raymond
  • Lin, Hui
  • Sun, Cong
  • Wang, Yongxiang
  • Zhao, Daxuan

Abstract

We examine Chinese cities’ COVID-19 reopening plans as a window into governments’ economic and social priorities. We measure reopenings based on official government news announcements, and show that these are predicted by citizen discontent, as captured by Baidu searches for terms such as “unemployment” and “protest” in the prior week. The effects are particularly strong early in the epidemic, indicating a priority on initiating economic recovery as early as possible. These results indicate that even a non-democratic government may respond to citizen concerns, possibly to minimize dissent.

Suggested Citation

  • Fisman, Raymond & Lin, Hui & Sun, Cong & Wang, Yongxiang & Zhao, Daxuan, 2021. "What motivates non-democratic leadership: Evidence from COVID-19 reopenings in China," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:196:y:2021:i:c:s0047272721000256
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2021.104389
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Köhler, Ekkehard & Matsusaka, John G. & Wu, Yanhui, 2023. "Street-level responsiveness of city governments in China, Germany, and the United States," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 640-652.
    2. Bai, Chenjiang & Duan, Yuejiao & Liu, Congya & Qiu, Leiju, 2022. "International taxation sentiment and COVID-19 crisis," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    3. Christina Kakderi & Nicos Komninos & Anastasia Panori & Eleni Oikonomaki, 2021. "Next City: Learning from Cities during COVID-19 to Tackle Climate Change," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-21, March.
    4. Toan Luu Duc Huynh & Duy Duong, 2022. "Government responses, democracy, and COVID-19 containment: a cross-country study," Economics and Business Letters, Oviedo University Press, vol. 11(3), pages 98-106.
    5. Chen, Qianmiao & Huang, Qingyang & Liu, Chang & Wang, Peng, 2022. "Career incentives of local leaders and crisis response: A case study of COVID-19 lockdowns in China," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    6. Chen, Meichen & Qin, Cong & Zhang, Xiaoyu, 2022. "Cryptocurrency price discrepancies under uncertainty: Evidence from COVID-19 and lockdown nexus," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    7. Bessho, S., 2023. "Elections and COVID-19 benefit payments," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Bureaucratic incentives; Unrest; Non-democracy; China; COVID-19;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D73 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Bureaucracy; Administrative Processes in Public Organizations; Corruption
    • P26 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies - - - Property Rights

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