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Did the COVID-19 pandemic change the willingness to pay for an early warning system for infectious diseases in Europe?

Author

Listed:
  • Sebastian Himmler

    (Erasmus University Rotterdam
    Erasmus Centre for Health Economics Rotterdam (EsCHER), Erasmus University Rotterdam)

  • Job Exel

    (Erasmus University Rotterdam
    Erasmus Centre for Health Economics Rotterdam (EsCHER), Erasmus University Rotterdam
    Erasmus University Rotterdam)

  • Werner Brouwer

    (Erasmus University Rotterdam
    Erasmus Centre for Health Economics Rotterdam (EsCHER), Erasmus University Rotterdam
    Erasmus University Rotterdam)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need for effective infectious disease outbreak prevention. This could entail installing an integrated, international early warning system, aiming to contain and mitigate infectious diseases outbreaks. The amount of resources governments should spend on such preventive measures can be informed by the value citizens attach to such a system. This was already recognized in 2018, when a contingent valuation willingness to pay (WTP) experiment was fielded, eliciting the WTP for such a system in six European countries. We replicated that experiment in the spring of 2020 to test whether and how WTP had changed during an actual pandemic (COVID-19), taking into account differences in infection rates and stringency of measures by government between countries. Overall, we found significant increases in WTP between the two time points, with mean WTP for an early warning system increasing by about 50% (median 30%), from around €20 to €30 per month. However, there were marked differences between countries and subpopulations, and changes were only partially explained by COVID-19 burden. We discuss possible explanations for and implication of our findings.

Suggested Citation

  • Sebastian Himmler & Job Exel & Werner Brouwer, 2022. "Did the COVID-19 pandemic change the willingness to pay for an early warning system for infectious diseases in Europe?," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 23(1), pages 81-94, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eujhec:v:23:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1007_s10198-021-01353-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s10198-021-01353-6
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Infectious disease outbreaks; COVID-19; Early warning system; Willingness to pay; Multi-country study;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • H41 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Public Goods

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