William H. Bossert
· David B. Arnold, Jr. Professor of Science, EmeritusHarvard University · Electrical Engineering
Active 1963–2020
Research topics
- Political Science
- Economics
- Medicine
- Virology
- Macroeconomics
- Econometrics
- Environmental health
Selected publications
An Economist’s Guide to Epidemiology Models of Infectious Disease
The Journal of Economic Perspectives · 2020 · 112 citations
- Economics
- Econometrics
- Environmental health
We describe the structure and use of epidemiology models of disease transmission, with an emphasis on the susceptible/infected/recovered (SIR) model. We discuss high-profile forecasts of cases and deaths that have been based on these models, what went wrong with the early forecasts, and how they have adapted to the current COVID pandemic. We also offer three distinct areas where economists would be well positioned to contribute to or inform this epidemiology literature: modeling heterogeneity of susceptible populations in various dimensions, accommodating endogeneity of the parameters governing disease spread, and helping to understand the importance of political economy issues in disease suppression.
SSRN Electronic Journal · 2020 · 32 citations
- Political Science
- Economics
- Political Science
Frequent coauthors
- 19 shared
F. Ellis McKenzie
University of Western Australia
- 9 shared
John C. Beier
University of Miami
- 8 shared
Gerry F. Killeen
University College Cork
- 8 shared
Jared M. Diamond
- 5 shared
Brian A. Hazlett
University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
- 4 shared
William B. Schwartz
- 4 shared
William T. Cowan
National Institutes of Health
- 4 shared
Sara Fisher Ellison
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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