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The Role of Social Contact in the Infectious Disease Spreading : Evidence from the 1918 Influenza in Sweden

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  • Qi, Xinghua

    (University of Warwick)

Abstract

Infectious disease has always been a concern to people, especially under the current COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this paper is to find a causal relationship between social interaction and disease spreading. This paper takes the ‘Spanish Flu’ in 1918 in the background of Sweden rather than COVID to rule out some uncertainty in transmission tunnels and use railway access as proximity to social contact. Using Diff-in-Diff identification, combined with a short-term event-study design, I show that localities that have railway stations nearby are likely to have more death cases during the influenza period. I use exogenous variation in railway station emergence from initial railway plans in addition and verifying that railway indeed facilitates the disease transmission and mortality rate as well but only with limited effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Qi, Xinghua, 2023. "The Role of Social Contact in the Infectious Disease Spreading : Evidence from the 1918 Influenza in Sweden," Warwick-Monash Economics Student Papers 49, Warwick Monash Economics Student Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:wrk:wrkesp:49
    as

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    File URL: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/research/wmesp/manage/49_-_xinghua_qi.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    disease spreading ; railways ; 1918 Influenza ; Sweden JEL classifications: Y40;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Y40 - Miscellaneous Categories - - Dissertations - - - Dissertations

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