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Inequality and Social Distancing during the Pandemic

Author

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  • Caitlin Brown

    (University of Manchester)

  • Martin Ravallion

    (Georgetown University and the National Bureau of Economic Research)

Abstract

We study how pre-pandemic inequalities in the United States influenced social distancing over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Richer counties tended to see more protective mobility responses in the initial (pre-pharmaceutical) phase, but less protective responses later. Near linearity of this income effect implies that inequality between counties contributed very little to overall mobility reductions. By contrast, higher within-county inequality and/or poverty came with substantially larger attenuations to non-residential mobility at given average incomes. There were also significant effects of the county’s racial and age composition. County employment composition is found to be additionally important, with reductions in mobility in counties with a higher share of professional workers.

Suggested Citation

  • Caitlin Brown & Martin Ravallion, 2023. "Inequality and Social Distancing during the Pandemic," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 21(3), pages 679-702, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joecin:v:21:y:2023:i:3:d:10.1007_s10888-023-09590-w
    DOI: 10.1007/s10888-023-09590-w
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    Cited by:

    1. Cassey LEE, 2024. "Urban Amenities and Trade Resilience During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Malaysia," Working Papers DP-2024-28, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Epidemiology; COVID-19; Poverty; Inequality; Race;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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