Governments' Responses to COVID-19 (Response2covid19), Global, 2020-2021 (ICPSR 39773)

Version Date: May 14, 2026

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Principal Investigator(s):
Simon Porcher, Paris Dauphine University

https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR39773.v1

Version V1

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Summary

The Response2covid19 dataset tracked governments' responses to COVID-19 all around the world. The dataset is at the country-level and covers the January 2020 - June 2021 period. It tracked 20 measures - 13 public health measures and 7 economic measures - taken by 213 governments. The compilation of these measures allowed the creation of an index of the rigidity of public health measures and an index of economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Citation

Porcher, Simon. Governments’ Responses to COVID-19 (Response2covid19), Global, 2020-2021. Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2026-05-14. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR39773.v1

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Subject Terms

Geographic Coverage

Smallest Geographic Unit

Country

Distributor(s)

Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research
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Time Period(s)

2020-01-01 -- 2021-06-04

Date of Collection

2020-03-13 -- 2021-06-30

Data Collection Notes

  1. This collection includes a zipped package that contains a Stata syntax file. Please see the ICPSR README for additional information.

  2. Data and documentation for this collection were originally deposited in openICPSR project 119061.

  3. In the P.I. Report, the number of countries in this collection is stated to be 228. However, the correct number of countries in this collection is 213.

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Study Purpose

The purpose of this study was both to inform citizens and to help researchers and governments to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

Study Design

The data were collected via a wide variety of sources. The main source used was the Assessment Capacities Project (ACAPS) COVID-19 Government Measures Dataset (unable to be accessed at time of publication). In addition, sources such as the IMF COVID-19 policy tracker and UNESCO Education: From COVID-19 school closures to recovery website were used to both verify information in the ACAPS dataset, and add further measures being studied.

Thirteen public health measures were considered - bans on mass gatherings, bans on sporting and recreational events, restaurant and bar closures, domestic lockdowns, international travel restrictions, domestic travel restrictions, curfew, declarations of states of emergency, public testing, enhanced surveillance, obligations to wear masks in the public space, school closures, and the postponement of elections. Each measure was coded 1 or 0, depending on whether it was implemented or not, and as a missing variable if the country is not covered. Measures were coded on a daily basis. Before the implementation, the measure is coded 0; from the day of the implementation and until it is lifted, the measure is coded 1. The first eleven measures were manually coded from the ACAPS dataset. The format of their dataset does not allow directly merging their dataset with another one, as they textually report the measures implemented or discussed. Their dataset requires some reading to qualify whether, and at which scale, a given measure is implemented. School closures were directly taken from the UNESCO dataset which indicates on which scale schools are closed (local level, national-level or no school closures).

Additionally, extra variables which equal 1 if the implementation of a given measure was partial or localized, and 0 if it was strict or national, were added.

Time Method

Time Series

Universe

Public health measures including international and domestic travel restrictions, bans on mass gatherings, school closings, and domestic lockdown among others. Economic measures include wage support, cash transfers, interest rates cuts, tax cuts and delays, and support to exporters or importers.

Unit(s) of Observation

Political-administrative area, Day

Data Source

IMF COVID-19 policy tracker, https://www.imf.org/en/Topics/imf-and-covid19/Policy-Responses-to-COVID-19

UNESCO Education: From COVID-19 school closures to recovery, https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse

Data Type(s)

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Original Release Date

2026-05-14

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Notes

  • The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.

  • ICPSR usually offers files in multiple formats for researchers to be able to access data and documentation in formats that work well within their needs. If you have questions about the accessibility of materials distributed by ICPSR or require further assistance, please visit ICPSR’s Accessibility Center.