Preprint arXiv:2007.14841 [econ.GN]; last accessed March 10, 2021.
ISSN/ISBN: Not available at this time. DOI: Not available at this time.
Abstract: We use the Newcomb-Benford law to test if countries have manipulated reported data during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that democratic countries, countries with the higher gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, higher healthcare expenditures, and better universal healthcare coverage are less likely to deviate from the Newcomb-Benford law. The relationship holds for the cumulative number of reported deaths and total cases but is more pronounced for the death toll. The findings are robust for second-digit tests, for a sub-sample of countries with regional data, and in relation to the previous swine flu (H1N1) 2009-2010 pandemic. The paper further highlights the importance of independent surveillance data verification projects.
Bibtex:
@misc{,
title={Who Manipulates Data During Pandemics? Evidence from Newcomb-Benford Law},
author={Vadim S. Balashov and Yuxing Yan and Xiaodi Zhu},
year={2020},
eprint={2007.14841},
archivePrefix={arXiv},
primaryClass={econ.GN}
how published = {\url{https://arxiv.org/abs/2007.14841},
}
Reference Type: Preprint
Subject Area(s): Economics, Medical Sciences