Efficacious methods of restraining COVID-19 through behavioral public policy

Discussions about the degree of state influence on the economy have always had a special place in economics, but the COVID-19 pandemic created a new round of the old dispute. States took unprecedented measures to contain the spread of the disease, changing many of everyday life practices of the citizens. These methods, despite their effectiveness, had significant drawbacks. The concept of libertarian paternalism by R. Thaler and C. Sunstein, based on the achievements of behavioral economics, offers new methods of state intervention in the private life of citizens. The methods of libertarian paternalism aimed at containing COVID-19 were experimentally proven to be effective. In our work, we point out the weaknesses of traditional methods of containing the spread of the disease, demonstrate directions for behavioral interventions, and review methods that experimentally proved effective. Thus, the most important problem, in our opinion, is the spread of conspiracy theories and disinformation, and the most promising areas through which behavioral changes can be carried out are: social context, leadership, threat perception, overcoming fear, scientific communication, personal and collective interests. This text can be useful not only to theorists of behavioral economics and public policy, but also to practitioners of public administration.