Does a Governor's Gender and Political Party Affect a State's GDP Growth during the COVID-19 Pandemic?

Leah Sine () and Seth Gitter ()
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Leah Sine: Towson University

No 2022-01, Working Papers from Towson University, Department of Economics

Abstract: In a vacuum of federal policies during the COVID crisis, U.S. state governors who were female and/or Democrats were more likely to enact public health policies that reduced COVID deaths. Using 2005–2020 quarterly data, we test whether states with female and Democratic governors experienced lower GDP growth rates during COVID. We find that states with Democratic governors experienced annual GDP growth two percentage points lower than states with Republican governors in 2020, with statistically weaker results for female governors. The two-point reduction in GDP growth is less than the economic value of estimated lives saved due to these policies.

Keywords: Covid; Governors; Female Leadership. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H12 H70 H75 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 35 pages
Date: 2022-01, Revised 2022-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-gen and nep-pol
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:tow:wpaper:2022-01

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