This article develops a detailed epidemiological multi-factor model, the K-susceptible-exposed-infected-removed (K-SEIR) model, and several simpler sub-models as its building blocks. The general model enables us to account for all the relevant COVID-19 features, its disparate impact on different...

Different strains of influenza viruses spread in human populations during every epidemic season. As the size of an infected population increases, the virus can mutate itself and grow in strength. The traditional epidemic SIR model does not capture virus mutations and, hence, the model is not...

The implementation of a lockdown to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a strong economic and political debate in several countries. This makes it crucial to shed light on the actual benefits of such kind of policy. To this purpose, we focus on the Swiss lockdown during the...

An innovation (e.g., new product or idea) spreads like a virus, transmitted by those who have previously adopted it. Agents update their beliefs about innovation quality based on private signals and when they hear about the innovation. We characterize equilibrium adoption dynamics and the...

In der politischen Debatte um die richtige Reaktion des Westens auf den russischen Angriffskrieg auf die Ukraine steht neben den bereits beschlossenen Sanktionen ein sofortiges Gasembargo als Mittel im Raum, um den wirtschaftspolitischen Druck auf Russland zu erhöhen. Hier ist insbesondere...

The macroeconomic model Solow-Swan shows that the marginal rates of capital, technology and labor force, with positive values, have the capacity to stimulate the economic growth of the emergent economies, as in the case of Romania, for the 2005-2014 period, facilitating the determination of...

The perception of the health sector from an economic policy point of view is changing. In the past, health expenditure was mostly seen as a "cost" item, probably because many medical treatments are covered by public health insurance. However, policymakers are increasingly realizing that a...

Blood pressure apparatuses, stethoscopes and thermometers serve as vehicles for pathogens. Previous studies have shown that these equipment harbor potentially pathogenic microorganisms and even antibiotic-resistant strains within the hospital environment. Practice of good infection control on...

A number of shortcomings in Germany's efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, including fraudulent testing, vaccination fraud and insufficient testing capacity have been identified and need to be remedied before another wave or worse, another pandemic. This paper examines the failures...