A Cross-National Design to Estimate Effects of COVID-Induced Non-Pharmacological Interventions

We describe a research initiative that will explore the economic and social effects not of the COVID-19 itself but of the policies and information environment that COVID-19 spawned. We will exploit the substantial intra and inter-country temporal and geographic variation in non-pharmacological intervention policies induced by the COVID-19 disease. We will use data from ongoing household-based panel studies from 10 countries and rich administrative data from an eleventh. Six of the ten household panels have already fielded or will shortly field COVID-related questions to their main samples. A seventh, the PSID, has fielded questions to samples of the Child Development Supplement and Transition into Adulthood Supplement. The PSID and the other three panels will include COVID related questions in their next regular survey. All of them will be completed in 2021.