https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-04/oupu-nps041521.php
News Release 15-Apr-2021
Oxford University Press USA
A new paper in the Review of Economic Studies indicates that disease can alter the social networks and economic growth of countries for generations, even after the disease itself is eradicated.
Social networks are an important determinant of a country's growth as they affect the diffusion of ideas and the rate of technological progress. But social networks also diffuse diseases that can rapidly spread and dampen growth.
As ideas and germs diffuse through the same human interactions, the network structure of a country ultimately depends on its epidemiological environment. In countries with low prevalence of infectious diseases, high diffusion networks are more likely to emerge as they are better suited to diffuse technology and foster growth. On the other hand, in countries characterized by high prevalence of infectious diseases, low diffusion networks are more likely to emerge as limited connectivity protects people from epidemics. This insight has become particularly pertinent as economists reflect on the long term economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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