INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE BEHAVIORS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN BRAZIL: simulations on economic theorical models

Renan Canaan,Mayra Pimenta

doi:10.29327/223163.9.1-4

Abstract

This paper aims to address the decision-making process of individual and collective behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. To answer this research question, our analysis will make use of economic theoretical models, namely game theory and the tragedy of commons, to simulate individual, firms, and collective behavior in the pandemic in Brazil. Analysis point that, according to the Prisoner’s dilemma approach, citizens, as well as firms, are inclined to mutually defect from changing their behavior to comply with social distancing measures. Consequently, they will be worse off compared to a group-centered decision. Also, the framework on the tragedy of the commons predicts that individuals, taking self-centered decisions, opt out of the sanitary measures. This will lead to the depletion of the collective benefit, i.e. public health. Therefore, public intervention is justified to coordinate individuals’ behavior because citizens are better off when everyone complies with social distancing measures.

Highlights

COVID-19 is the name defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the disease caused by the new Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (GORBALENYA et al, 2020)
Public intervention is justified to coordinate the behavior of individuals because citizens are better off when everyone complies with social distancing measures
According to the game theory, the prisoner’s dilemma, agents acting at the individual level will take self-interest decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic

Summary

Introduction

COVID-19 is the name defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the disease caused by the new Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (GORBALENYA et al, 2020). The features of this virus, such as the incubation period and the contagion capacity, caused a quick spread of the disease (SANTOS et al, 2020). The fast-paced transmission across continents led WHO to declare SARS-CoV-2 as a Pandemic on March 11, 2020 (WHO, 2020). The pandemic demanded a global-wide campaign to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, including mask-wearing, hand washing, avoiding face touching, and maintaining social distance (VAN BAVEL, et al, 2020). Contemporary world history has not witnessed such a massive shift in individual and collective behavior (SENHORAS, 2020a)

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