Why are the Anti-Corona measures in some countries are much stricter than in other countries? This question will deal with the science, probably, for a long time. Some of the reasons are obvious: How strong a country from the Virus was taken about, what, in turn, depend on many other factors.

Gustav Theile

editor in the economy.

F. A. Z. Twitter

scientists have identified that the people in those regions more of a distance, in which the social cohesion is greater. Countries with populist and right-wing governments have introduced in the first Corona-months, less strong restrictions, has found out a scientist from the prestigious Bocconi University in Milan.

it Was bad luck?

autocracies have introduced stricter lockdowns, and more on contact tracing was the result of investigations by scientists from Oxford. Democratic countries are successful to reduce the mobility of the people, because the population of the measures taken by the government rather a consequence. In addition, people in kollektivisti have countries scissors your travel activities more limited than people living in individualistic countries affected.

Much has been discussed about what the role of the degree of centralization of a state of play: it Helps countries tend to be, if they are organized at a Federal level, because you can react better to local outbreaks, or harm it, because of the often sought “patchwork quilt” is created that only a Central government to a Persian carpet with a beautifully symmetrical pattern of weaving?

Two researchers at New York University (NYU) have now identified another reason, which suggests that some countries, including the United States, may have had just bad luck – bad luck, that the next election stand in front of the door, as the Virus came into the country, and that the incumbent can compete again. Maybe the local President, Donald Trump for Anti-Corona would have been hard-liners, would have been the election only in two or three years.

For Germany it could mean that Chancellor Merkel has kept the country from an even worse fate, she has announced the end of 2018, the next election to the Bundestag not to compete again – and not have to Worry about their re-election needed.

For many politicians – and this has less to do with the bad luck to have in your reactions to the Virus of Worry about re-election and let yourself be guided, have found the political scientist in a study, which was published as a working paper in the prestigious National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER),. Accordingly, it has influenced the Rigor of the measures, whether the incumbent is allowed to again stand for election or whether the Constitution says, because the number of terms is limited. It also plays an important role, when the next election takes place.