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Activity Number: 75 - SPEED: Data Challenge and SPAAC
Type: Topic-Contributed
Date/Time: Monday, August 9, 2021 : 10:00 AM to 11:50 AM
Sponsor: Section on Statistical Computing
Abstract #318634
Title: Predictors of US Government Spending on COVID-19 Relief
Author(s): Henry Dorsey and MaryLena Bleile* and Mingzhe Fang and Austin Hung and Hon Keung Tony Ng and Lynne Stokes
Companies: Southern Methodist University and Southern Methodist University and Southern Methodist University and Southern Methodist University and Southern Methodist University and Southern Methodist University
Keywords: COVID-19; Government spending; Minoritized groups; Economic stimulus; Infection rate; US county data
Abstract:

The US government has spent more than US $1 trillion on COVID-19 relief. The magnitude of this expense compels us to obtain an estimate of the fairness of the US Federal government’s funding allocation procedure. This concern regarding fairness is amplified by evidence that minoritized groups have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. For policymakers to improve their COVID-19 response procedure, potential contributing factors to government attention and neglect must be investigated. We seek to identify the demographic characteristics of the geographic communities which have been prioritized or neglected by the US government’s COVID-19 relief spending plan. Our study uses data from three different sources: (i) County-level variables from the American Community Survey; (ii) Federally-provided information on government spending; and (iii) COVID-19 case data from the CDC. Government spending is regressed on demographic variables from the ACS. Preliminary results indicate that government spending is primarily associated with population, with negligible correlation to COVID-19 cases.


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