Anmerkungen:
Nach Informationen von SSRN wurde die ursprüngliche Fassung des Dokuments June 24, 2021 erstellt
Beschreibung:
We provide an empirical analysis of the determinants of cumulative Covid infection rates at over 1,100 US colleges and universities during the 2020-21 academic year. We propose a simple theoretical framework in which financially constrained educational institutions face a trade-off between educational quality and the reduction of Covid infection risks. This framework suggests that an institution’s equilibrium Covid infection rate will be determined by a set of exogenous variables describing its finances, demographics, selectivity, governance, and location. We find that cumulative campus infection rates are higher at wealthier institutions, measured by higher endowments per student or higher tuition rates. Institutions with lower enrollment yields in admissions also have higher Covid infection rates, perhaps reflecting the greater influence of student preferences on decision making at these institutions. Economies of scale in Covid mitigation emerge gradually over the course of the year. Finally, we find that infection rates are higher at public institutions and that this effect is fully explained by higher infection rates at public institutions in states with Republican governors