A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit: pandemics, cognitive path dependence and regional economic resilience in China

Path dependence and regional economic resilience are core concepts in evolutionary economic geography, but research has paid less attention to the cognitive dimension. This paper extends the framework of path dependence to study the impact of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) experience on the economic resilience of 296 regions in China during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Cognitive path dependence is used to explain how historical memory shapes the differences in regional resilience in the face of external shocks. The similarity of the two pandemics and the bounded rationality of cognition lead to different reactions of individuals in different regions to COVID-19. We found that the region’s SARS experience promoted its search behaviour for SARS-related information during the COVID-19 period, and this enriched knowledge helped the region take action to enhance economic resilience. This effect is also influenced by the regional capabilities of government information disclosure and medical infrastructure.