The Timing of Implementation of COVID-19 Lockdown Policies: Does Decentralization Matter?

All countries implemented policies to mitigate the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and control fatalities from COVID-19. Although early actions were pivotal in reducing confirmed cases and deaths, the timing of the introduction of these policies differed from country to country. This article assesses and compares the behavior of various decentralized countries in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on the timing of implementation of containment measures and viewing timeliness of adoption as denoting a country’s level of responsiveness to a health crisis. Using international databases, this article finds that more decentralized countries delayed the start of containment measures. This article also finds that larger and more densely populated countries were more likely to delay implementation of these policies.