Why the Pandemic Played Out Differently Across the Developed World

A golfer tees off at Loch March Golf and Country Club in Ottawa on May 22, 2021, as golf courses and other outdoor recreation facilities reopen in Ontario. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

Commentary

Perhaps the most noteworthy feature of the pandemic is that there was no uniform pattern of impact across advanced countries. The pandemic unfolded differently in each developed country, and governments that spent more did not as a rule more successfully contain the virus or better maintain their economies.