Enhancing Public Health Policy: Insights from Vernon Smith's Behavioral and Experimental Economics, with a Consideration of Trade-offs and an Agent-Based Model Example for Disease Spread and Public Health Interventions

Author(s): Matteo Maria Cati

This paper explores how Vernon Smith's framework of behavioral and experimental economics can inform public health policy design. By acknowledging limitations of traditional models that assume perfect rationality, Smith's ideas offer valuable tools to address challenges in promoting healthy behaviors. This paper analyzes how Smith's focus on bounded rationality, incentive structures, and institutional design can be used to "nudge" individuals towards healthier choices and ultimately improve population health outcomes. However, the paper also acknowledges the need to balance public health goals with economic considerations.