Elections and COVID-19 Benefit Payments

This paper examines the political factors associated with the implementation of a benefit payment policy in Japan during the COVID-19 crisis. The Japanese government announced a universal cash payment program in April 2020, but payment time differed across localities. This paper estimates the correlation between timing and local politicians’ characteristics, finding that local governments with mayors elected unopposed tended to start payment comparatively earlier. As such, the mayors elected unopposed may be able to mobilize resources within government offices to execute the program that attracted public attention.