IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/bfi/wpaper/2020-53.html

Coordination and Social Distancing: Inertia in the Aggregate Response to COVID-19

Author

Listed:
  • Mehdi Shadmehr

    (University of Chicago - Harris School of Public Policy)

  • Ethan Bueno de Mesquita

    (University of Chicago - Harris School of Public Policy)

Abstract

Social distancing which is critical for mitigating the spread of COVID-19 has been slow and inadequate. Applying the literature on beauty contest models, we show: (1) When a new and rare virus, like COVID-19, emerges, the aggregate level of social distancing has inherent inertia; (2) Clear national public statements are essential in reducing that inertia and adjusting the public's behavior to the new, optimal level of social distancing; (3) National communication is better than local communication when optimal social distancing levels are highly correlated over-time and when individuals are poorly-informed.

Suggested Citation

  • Mehdi Shadmehr & Ethan Bueno de Mesquita, 2020. "Coordination and Social Distancing: Inertia in the Aggregate Response to COVID-19," Working Papers 2020-53, Becker Friedman Institute for Research In Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:bfi:wpaper:2020-53
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://repec.bfi.uchicago.edu/RePEc/pdfs/BFI_WP_202053.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Andrew Postlewaite, 2010. "Social Norms and Preferences," PIER Working Paper Archive 10-019, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania.
    2. Allcott, Hunt & Boxell, Levi & Conway, Jacob & Gentzkow, Matthew & Thaler, Michael & Yang, David, 2020. "Polarization and public health: Partisan differences in social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    3. Darin Christensen & Oeindrila Dube & Johannes Haushofer & Bilal Siddiqi & Maarten Voors, 2021. "Building Resilient Health Systems: Experimental Evidence from Sierra Leone and The 2014 Ebola Outbreak," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 136(2), pages 1145-1198.
    4. George-Marios Angeletos & Alessandro Pavan, 2007. "Efficient Use of Information and Social Value of Information," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 75(4), pages 1103-1142, July.
    5. Guido Lorenzoni, 2010. "Optimal Monetary Policy with Uncertain Fundamentals and Dispersed Information ," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 77(1), pages 305-338.
    6. Angeletos, G.-M. & Lian, C., 2016. "Incomplete Information in Macroeconomics," Handbook of Macroeconomics, in: J. B. Taylor & Harald Uhlig (ed.), Handbook of Macroeconomics, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 0, pages 1065-1240, Elsevier.
    7. Darin Christensen & Oeindrila Dube & Johannes Haushofer & Bilal Siddiqi & Maarten Voors, 0. "Building Resilient Health Systems: Experimental Evidence from Sierra Leone and The 2014 Ebola Outbreak," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 136(2), pages 1145-1198.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Bursztyn, Leonardo & Rao, Aakaash & Roth, Christopher & Yanagizawa-Drott, David, 2020. "Misinformation During a Pandemic," CAGE Online Working Paper Series 481, Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (CAGE).
    2. Guido Merzoni & Federico Trombetta, 2021. "A Note on Asymmetric Policies: Pandering and State-specific Costs of Mismatch in Political Agency," DISEIS - Quaderni del Dipartimento di Economia internazionale, delle istituzioni e dello sviluppo dis2102, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Dipartimento di Economia internazionale, delle istituzioni e dello sviluppo (DISEIS).
    3. Merzoni, Guido & Trombetta, Federico, 2022. "Pandering and state-specific costs of mismatch in political agency," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 132-143.
    4. Leonardo Bursztyn & Aakaash Rao & Christopher Roth & David Yanagizawa-Drott, 2023. "Opinions as Facts," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 90(4), pages 1832-1864.
    5. Björn TOELSTEDE, 2022. "Conformity, polarization, and democratic dialogue in times of pathogen threats. Germany and the United States during Covid-19," Eastern Journal of European Studies, Centre for European Studies, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, vol. 13, pages 263-291, December.
    6. Chang, Dongkyu & Vong, Allen, 2025. "Perverse ethical concerns: Misinformation and coordination," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 226(C).
    7. Aaditya, Bh. & Rahul, T.M., 2021. "Psychological impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on the mode choice behaviour: A hybrid choice modelling approach," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 47-58.
    8. Rahul Deb & Mallesh Pai & Akhil Vohra & Rakesh Vohra, 2022. "Testing alone is insufficient," Review of Economic Design, Springer;Society for Economic Design, vol. 26(1), pages 1-21, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kohlhas, Alexandre N., 2020. "An informational rationale for action over disclosure," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    2. Bruno Carvalho & Susana Peralta & Joao Pereira dos Santos, 2020. "What and how did people buy during the Great Lockdown? Evidence from electronic payments," Working Papers ECARES 2020-20, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    3. Kokonas, Nikolaos & Rousakis, Michalis & Smyrniotis, Efthymios, 2025. "Controlling inflation with central bank news," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    4. Khadjavi, Menusch & Lange, Andreas & Nicklisch, Andreas, 2014. "The Social Value of Transparency and Accountability: Experimental Evidence from Asymmetric Public Good Games," VfS Annual Conference 2014 (Hamburg): Evidence-based Economic Policy 100512, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    5. Drenik, Andrés & Perez, Diego J., 2020. "Price setting under uncertainty about inflation," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 23-38.
    6. Rondina, Giacomo & Walker, Todd B., 2021. "Confounding dynamics," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    7. Jonathan J Adams, 2019. "Macroeconomic Models with Incomplete Information and Endogenous Signals," Working Papers 001004, University of Florida, Department of Economics.
    8. Bassetto, Marco, 2019. "Forward guidance: Communication, commitment, or both?," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 69-86.
    9. Ippei Fujiwara & Yuichiro Waki, 2015. "Private news and monetary policy forward guidance or (the expected virtue of ignorance)," Globalization Institute Working Papers 238, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
    10. Cornand, Camille & Heinemann, Frank, 2022. "Monetary policy obeying the Taylor principle turns prices into strategic substitutes," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 1357-1371.
    11. Khadjavi, Menusch & Lange, Andreas & Nicklisch, Andreas, 2014. "The Social Value of Transparency and Accountabilityː Experimental Evidence from Asymmetric Public Goods Games," WiSo-HH Working Paper Series 12, University of Hamburg, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences, WISO Research Laboratory.
    12. Mekonnen, Teddy & Leal Vizcaíno, René, 2022. "Bayesian comparative statics," Theoretical Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 17(1), January.
    13. Pellet, Thomas & Tahbaz-Salehi, Alireza, 2023. "Rigid production networks," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 86-102.
    14. Camille Cornand & Rodolphe Dos Santos Ferreira, 2021. "Central bank’s stabilization and communication policies when firms have motivated overconfidence in their own information accuracy or processing," Working Papers 2118, Groupe d'Analyse et de Théorie Economique Lyon St-Etienne (GATE Lyon St-Etienne), Université de Lyon.
    15. Giuseppe Ferrero & Marcello Miccoli & Sergio Santoro, 2014. "Informational Effects of Monetary Policy," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 982, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    16. Thomas Lustenberger & Enzo Rossi, 2022. "The Social Value of Information: A Test of a Beauty and Nonbeauty Contest," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 54(7), pages 2125-2148, October.
    17. Bergemann, Dirk & Heumann, Tibor & Morris, Stephen, 2015. "Information and volatility," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 158(PB), pages 427-465.
    18. Tatsushi Okuday & Tomohiro Tsurugaz & Francesco Zanetti, 2019. "Imperfect Information, Shock Heterogeneity, and Inflation Dynamics," BCAM Working Papers 1906, Birkbeck Centre for Applied Macroeconomics.
    19. Iovino, Luigi & La’O, Jennifer & Mascarenhas, Rui, 2022. "Optimal monetary policy and disclosure with an informationally-constrained central banker," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 151-172.
    20. Mäkinen, Taneli & Ohl, Björn, 2015. "Information acquisition and learning from prices over the business cycle," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 158(PB), pages 585-633.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bfi:wpaper:2020-53. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Toni Shears The email address of this maintainer does not seem to be valid anymore. Please ask Toni Shears to update the entry or send us the correct address (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/mfichus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.