Economic Considerations for Social Distancing and Behavioral Based Policies During an Epidemic

Overview

Journal J Health Econ

Specialty Health Services

Date 2013 Feb 20

PMID 23419635

Citations 54

Authors

Eli P Fenichel

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Public policies intended to induce behavioral change, specifically incentives to reduce interpersonal contacts or to "social distance," increasingly play a prominent role in public disease response strategies as governments plan for and respond to major epidemics. I compare social distancing incentives and outcomes under decentralized, full control social planner, and constrained social planner, without health class specific control, decision making scenarios. Constrained social planner decision making, based on non-health class specific controls, can in some instances make society worse off than decentralized decision making (i.e. no intervention). The oft neglected behavior of recovered and immune individuals is important for welfare and health outcomes.

Citing Articles

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