Data and Code for: Laissez-faire, Social Networks, and Race in a Pandemic

We use unique data on nursing home networks in the United States and estimation of state-level preference for prioritizing short-term economic gains over health to analyze the effects of race, laissez-faire (more tolerance to the virus spread) policies, and network centrality on COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes. Our findings suggest that laissez-faire policies increase deaths. Nursing homes with a larger share of black residents experience more deaths, but they are less vulnerable to laissez-faire policies, especially when not central in social networks. Our findings highlight significant interactions between COVID-19 policies, race, and network structure among U.S. seniors.