RESUMEN
This paper studies the causal effect of local exposure to COVID-19 on voting behaviour and electoral outcomes using evidence from the regional elections held in Spain on 12 July 2020. Exploiting the variation in exposure to COVID-19 and using a difference-in-differences identification strategy, we show that turnout was between 2.6 and 5.1 percentage points lower in municipalities that experienced positive cases of COVID-19. In addition, the results show a substantial increase in the probability of voting for nationalist parties. We discuss the idea of perceived fear being the potential mechanism driving our results.
RESUMEN
This research examines the mental health inequalities between employed and unemployed individuals among the fluctuations over the business cycle. To analyze whether a recession affects self-evaluated mental health and consequently increases the demand for mental health care, I exploit the sudden increase of the unemployment rate in Spain during the period 2007-2009. First, I analyze the impairment of self-evaluated mental health as a consequence of the Great Recession and if it prevails during the economic recovery. In addition, I estimate if the effect on self-reported mental health is reflected in demand for mental health care. The results from an event study design show that the economic downturn increases the differences between employed and unemployed individuals in self-evaluated mental health. However, and despite the continuous improvement in unemployment, the mental health gap remained unchanged between 2014 and 2017, which could imply the persistence of some lasting impacts of the Great Recession on mental health. Nonetheless, I find a reduction in the differences of using drugs related to mental health during the period 2011-2012, when I estimate the largest inequalities in self-evaluated mental health.