Arbeitspapier

State-Level Economic Policy Uncertainty

We quantify and study state-level economic policy uncertainty. Tapping digital archives for nearly 3,500 local newspapers, we construct three monthly indexes for each state: one that captures state and local sources of policy uncertainty (ΕPU-S), one that captures national and international sources (EPU-N), and a composite index that captures both. EPU-S rises around gubernatorial elections and own-state episodes like the California electricity crisis of 2000-01 and the Kansas tax experiment of 2012. EPU-N rises around presidential elections and in response to 9-11, Gulf Wars I and II, the 2011 debt-ceiling crisis, the 2012 fiscal cliff episode, and federal government shutdowns. Close elections elevate policy uncertainty much more than the average election. The COVID-19 pandemic drove huge increases in policy uncertainty and unemployment, more so in states with stricter government-mandated lockdowns. VAR models fit to pre-COVID data imply that upward shocks to own-state EPU foreshadow weaker economic activity in the state.

Sprache
Englisch

Erschienen in
Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 15156

Klassifikation
Wirtschaft
Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty: General
General Outlook and Conditions
General Financial Markets: Government Policy and Regulation
State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations: General
Regional Government Analysis: General
Thema
policy uncertainty
elections and uncertainty
COVID-19
state-level economic performance
unemployment

Ereignis
Geistige Schöpfung
(wer)
Baker, Scott R.
Davis, Steven J.
Levy, Jeffrey A.
Ereignis
Veröffentlichung
(wer)
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
(wo)
Bonn
(wann)
2022

Handle
Letzte Aktualisierung
10.03.2025, 11:44 MEZ

Datenpartner

Dieses Objekt wird bereitgestellt von:
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. Bei Fragen zum Objekt wenden Sie sich bitte an den Datenpartner.

Objekttyp

  • Arbeitspapier

Beteiligte

  • Baker, Scott R.
  • Davis, Steven J.
  • Levy, Jeffrey A.
  • Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Entstanden

  • 2022

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