Topic：Trust and Resilient Societies During the Covid-19 Crisis
Speaker: Yann Algan
Dean of the School of Public Affairs and Professor of Economics
Sciences Po.
Moderator: Zhu Xufeng
Professor & Associate Dean
School of Public Policy and Management
Tsinghua University
Time: Thursday, 26th November, 2020, 15:00-16:00
Language：English（No interpretation）
Lecture Synopsis:
The success of non-pharmaceutical interventions to contain pandemics depends greatly upon voluntary compliance with government guidelines. What explains variation in voluntary compliance across and within countries? Using international survey data during the early phases of COVID-19, we show that voluntary social distancing and compliance was lower when individuals distrust the government and scientists. In contrast, individuals who distrust others were afraid to be infected and more likely to respect social distancing. We then show that the efficiency of policy interventions during the Civid-19 crisis heavily depends on the country level of social capital.
Speaker Biography:
Yann Algan is the Dean of the School of Public Affairs and Professor of Economics at Sciences Po. His research focuses on Digital Economy and Public Action 3.0. He also specializes on social capital and well-being in relation to individual outcomes and economic behavior, with particular attention to the role of education, culture, and institutions. His work incorporates methods from psychology, sociology, and economics, including randomized evaluations of public policies. He is a member of the OECD High Level Expert Group on Well-Being, and is affiliated with CEPR and IZA. His awards include the Best French Young Economist (2009), and his books on trust and French society have been awarded Best French Economics Book and French Essay (2009) and Best French Economics Book, Prix Lycéen (2013). In 2010 he was awarded an ERC Starting Grant for his project “Trust”. In 2015, he received a second ERC grant, a consolidator one, for the project “Sowell” on Social Preferences, Well-Being, and Policy.
This forum is also the second Tanoto Foundation—Tsinghua University 2020 Alumni Event sponsored by Tanoto Foundation.
Organized by:
Office of International Cooperation and Exchange
SPPM, Tsinghua University
