Andrew Young School faculty and graduate students—Wes Austin, Stefano Carattini, John Gomez Mahecha and Michael Pesko—have released new research looking at COVID-19 and air pollution. The authors examine the relationship between contemporaneous fine particulate matter exposure and COVID-19 morbidity and mortality using an instrumental variable approach based on wind direction. Their results suggest that air pollution plays an important role in mediating the severity of respiratory syndromes such as COVID-19, for which progressive respiratory failure is the primary cause of death, and that policy levers to improve air quality may lead to improvements in COVID-19 outcomes.
See the GSU spotlight on this research here. Read the full working paper here.
About ICePP’s Working Paper Series
The International Center for Public Policy has published a working paper series since 1997 to disseminate academic research quickly and to stimulate discussion that can expand knowledge, instill optimal practice and build capacity in the public sector around the world to improve human well-being.
Our primary areas of interest are fiscal decentralization and local governance, tax policy, and public budgeting and fiscal management in the global context. Some papers may focus on the United States if the results have international relevance.
All views expressed in this working paper series are those of the respective authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the International Center for Public Policy, the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies or Georgia State University. All papers should be cited properly with reference to the author(s), institution and working paper series. Find all of our working papers here.