COVID-19 and the Political Economy of Mass Hysteria
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Literature, History and Methods
3. Nocebo Effects and the Evolution of Mass Hysteria
3.1. Nocebo Effects
3.2. Mass Hysteria, Irrationality, Biases, and COVID-19
4. Discussion of Amplifiers and Attenuators of Mass Hysteria: Minimal State vs. Welfare State
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Age | Survival Rate |
---|---|
0–19 years | 99.997% |
20–49 years | 99.98% |
50–69 years | 99.5% |
70 + years | 94.6% |
Disease | Deaths 2019 in Mio. |
---|---|
Ischemic heart disease | 8.9 |
Stroke | 6.1 |
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 3.3 |
Lower respiratory infections | 2.6 |
Neonatal conditions | 2.0 |
Trachea, bronchus, lung cancers | 1.8 |
Alzheimer’s disease, other dementias | 1.6 |
Diarrheal diseases | 1.5 |
Diabetes mellitus | 1.4 |
Kidney diseases | 1.3 |
Factors Influencing the Evolution of Mass Hysteria | Minimal State | Modern Welfare State |
---|---|---|
Stress and anxiety reducing strategies | function freely | can be severely restricted |
Limits for produced harm | private property rights | insecure property rights |
Possibility of experimentation with alternative solutions | facilitates discovery of real threat | centralization and group think inhibit alternative approaches |
Politicized mass media | does not exist | likely to contribute to hysteria |
Negative information from authoritative source | can contribute, but state is not regarded as responsible for public health | regarded as responsible for public health, high authority |
Fear as a political factor | could be employed, but state power strictly limited | can be used to expand state power |
Costs of wrong health decisions | Limited possibility to pass costs onto third parties | Extensive possibility to pass costs onto third parties, incentive to exaggerate threat |
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Bagus, P.; Peña-Ramos, J.A.; Sánchez-Bayón, A. COVID-19 and the Political Economy of Mass Hysteria. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 1376. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041376
Bagus P, Peña-Ramos JA, Sánchez-Bayón A. COVID-19 and the Political Economy of Mass Hysteria. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021; 18(4):1376. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041376
Chicago/Turabian StyleBagus, Philipp, José Antonio Peña-Ramos, and Antonio Sánchez-Bayón. 2021. "COVID-19 and the Political Economy of Mass Hysteria" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 4: 1376. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041376
APA StyleBagus, P., Peña-Ramos, J. A., & Sánchez-Bayón, A. (2021). COVID-19 and the Political Economy of Mass Hysteria. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(4), 1376. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041376