Unequal Response to Mobility Restrictions: Evidence from Covid-19 Lockdown in the City of Bogotá

42 Pages Posted: 22 Mar 2022

See all articles by Guillermo Sinisterra

Guillermo Sinisterra

Universidad Javeriana

David Castells-Quintana

Autonomous University of Barcelona - Department of Applied Economics; University of Barcelona - Regional Quantitative Analysis Group (AQR-IREA)

Paula Herrera-Idárraga

Universidad Javeriana

Luis Quintero

Johns Hopkins University - Carey Business School

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Abstract

In this paper, we study the efficacy of government-mandated mobility restrictions on curbing urban mobility, and estimate the spatial heterogeneity in lockdown compliance. We also explore the role of cash subsidies disbursed during lockdown as well as socioeconomic differences across neighborhoods in explaining their unequal response to mobility restrictions. We rely on novel data showing changes in movements at highly disaggregated spatial units in Bogotá, before and during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, matched with data on socioeconomic characteristics as well as data on Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) implemented in the period of analysis. We find that the general lockdown imposed in the city significantly reduced mobility (by about 41pp). When looking at the unequal response across locations, we find that low-income areas, with higher population density, informality and overcrowding, reacted less to mobility restrictions. We also find that cash subsidies were not sufficient to make compliance easier in low-income neighborhoods.

Keywords: mobility, Development, inequality, COVID-19, place-based policies.

Suggested Citation

Sinisterra, Guillermo and Castells-Quintana, David and Herrera-Idáraga, Paula and Quintero, Luis, Unequal Response to Mobility Restrictions: Evidence from Covid-19 Lockdown in the City of Bogotá. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4004699 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4004699

Guillermo Sinisterra (Contact Author)

Universidad Javeriana ( email )

Carrera 7 No. 40-62
Bogotá
Colombia

David Castells-Quintana

Autonomous University of Barcelona - Department of Applied Economics ( email )

Departamento de Economía Aplicada
Bellaterra, Barcelona 08193
Spain

University of Barcelona - Regional Quantitative Analysis Group (AQR-IREA) ( email )

Tower IV
Av. Diagonal 690
Barcelona, 08034
Spain

Paula Herrera-Idáraga

Universidad Javeriana ( email )

Colombia

Luis Quintero

Johns Hopkins University - Carey Business School ( email )

100 International Drive
Baltimore, MD 21202
United States

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