A Cross-Country Comparison of Fiscal Policy Responses to the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a variety of responses from governments around the world. This research investigates national governments’ fiscal policies that have been introduced to manage the COVID-19 pandemic within economic, political, and institutional contexts. It demonstrates similarities and heterogeneity in the three dimensions of fiscal policy responses to COVID-19 (the size of fiscal spending, the types and targets of fiscal policy responses) across 170 countries.