01.02.2023 New Publication: Governments’ economic support for households during the COVID-19 pandemic and consumer confidence

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the economy and human lives around the world. To combat the socio-economic implications of the pandemic, governments have introduced support packages, unprecedented in their scales. A new study by economists Hassan Gholipour, Reza Tajaddini & Mohammad Reza Farzanegan investigates which government economic policy to support households during the pandemic has been able to restore consumer confidence.

Highlights:

• Governments have implemented various economic policies to combat COVID-19 consequences.
• The study looks at how different types of government economic support affects consumer confidence.
• The study uses data from 35 OECD countries from Jan 2020 to Oct 2021.
• Results show higher government support leads to higher consumer confidence.
• Income support has a stronger impact than debt/contract relief on consumer confidence.
• Debt/contract relief is more effective in boosting confidence in emerging economies.
• COVID-19 fatalities have a negative impact on consumer confidence.

This study is open access at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00181-023-02367-0

Cite this article
Gholipour, H.F., Tajaddini, R. & Farzanegan, M.R. Governments’ economic support for households during the COVID-19 pandemic and consumer confidence. Empir Econ (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00181-023-02367-0