Can relief measures nudge compliance in a public health crisis? Evidence from a kinked fiscal policy rule
研究发现，疫情期间意大利向市政当局分配的救济资金越多，居民遵守紧急规定的程度越高，表明政策公平性会影响合规行为。
We show that compensation measures aimed at improving the fairness of a crisis policy response can unintendedly nudge compliance with emergency rules. We combine information on the distribution of relief funds across Italian municipalities during the novel coronavirus pandemic with data tracking citizens' movements through mobile devices and navigation systems. To assess the impact of transfers on compliance, we exploit a sharp kink schedule in the allocation of funds. The empirical analysis provides evidence that compliance increased with transfers, suggesting that the observance of emergency rules also depends on the fairness of the pandemic policy response.