Arbeitspapier

Social interactions in a pandemic

Externalities and social preferences, such as patience and altruism, play a key role in the endogenous choice of social interactions, which in turn affect the diffusion of a pandemic or patterns of social segregation. We build a dynamic model, augmented with an SIR block, in which agents optimally choose the intensity of both general and group-specific social interactions. The equilibria in the baseline and the SIR-network model result from a matching process governed by optimally chosen contact rates. Taking into account agents' endogenous behavior generates markedly different predictions relative to a na¸ve SIR model. Through a planner's problem, we show that neglecting agents' response to risk leads to misguided policy decisions. Mobility restrictions beyond agents' restraint are needed to the extent that aggregate externalities are not curtailed by social preferences.

Sprache
Englisch

Erschienen in
Series: ECONtribute Discussion Paper ; No. 110

Klassifikation
Wirtschaft
Externalities
Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers
Network Formation and Analysis: Theory
Micro-Based Behavioral Economics: Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making‡
Macro-Based Behavioral Economics: General‡
Health: General
Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
Thema
social interactions
pandemics
SIR network models
social preferences
social planner
targeted policies

Ereignis
Geistige Schöpfung
(wer)
Alfaro, Laura
Faia, Ester
Lamersdorf, Nora
Saidi, Farzad
Ereignis
Veröffentlichung
(wer)
University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Reinhard Selten Institute (RSI)
(wo)
Bonn and Cologne
(wann)
2021

Handle
Letzte Aktualisierung
10.03.2025, 11:42 MEZ

Datenpartner

Dieses Objekt wird bereitgestellt von:
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. Bei Fragen zum Objekt wenden Sie sich bitte an den Datenpartner.

Objekttyp

  • Arbeitspapier

Beteiligte

  • Alfaro, Laura
  • Faia, Ester
  • Lamersdorf, Nora
  • Saidi, Farzad
  • University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Reinhard Selten Institute (RSI)

Entstanden

  • 2021

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