ECON2020

This course explores incorporating the standard epidemiology models of disease into economic modeling. The student will gain an understanding of how these epidemiology models work, and how they can be extended to allow the careful consideration of the tradeoffs inherent in choosing safety vs. economic well being. Topics will include SIR models from epidemiology, how contagious disease relates to standard economic concepts such as externalities, calculations of the Statistical Value of Life from economics, and the uses and pitfalls of mathematical modeling.