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How did federal aid to states and localities affect testing and vaccine delivery?

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  • Clemens, Jeffrey
  • Hoxie, Philip
  • Kearns, John
  • Veuger, Stan

Abstract

We estimate whether large allocations of federal aid for state and local governments played a role in advancing population testing for COVID-19 and the administration of vaccines. To overcome biases that can result from the endogeneity of federal aid allocations, we use an instrumental-variables estimator reliant on the substantial variation in federal aid predicted by variation in states’ congressional representation. We find that federal fiscal assistance dollars had a modest if any impact on the pace of vaccine rollouts, may have improved the equitability of vaccine administration, and had a substantial impact on the volume of tests administered. We observe that the difference in our findings for testing relative to vaccination suggests that surplus funds were more effective at increasing demand for services that exhibit relatively elastic demand, which is socially desirable when those services are associated with substantial public health externalities.

Suggested Citation

  • Clemens, Jeffrey & Hoxie, Philip & Kearns, John & Veuger, Stan, 2023. "How did federal aid to states and localities affect testing and vaccine delivery?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 225(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pubeco:v:225:y:2023:i:c:s0047272723001548
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2023.104972
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    14. Jeffrey Clemens & Benedic Ippolito & Stan Veuger, 2021. "Medicaid and fiscal federalism during the COVID‐19 pandemic," Public Budgeting & Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(4), pages 94-109, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jeffrey Clemens & Stan Veuger, 2024. "Intergovernmental Grants and Policy Competition: Concepts, Institutions, and Evidence," NBER Chapters, in: Policy Responses to Tax Competition, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Jeffrey Clemens & Philip G. Hoxie & Stan Veuger, 2022. "Was Pandemic Fiscal Relief Effective Fiscal Stimulus? Evidence from Aid to State and Local Governments," NBER Working Papers 30168, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; Fiscal federalism; Intergovernmental grants; Public goods; State and local government;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H75 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Government: Health, Education, and Welfare
    • H77 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - Intergovernmental Relations; Federalism
    • I14 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Inequality

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