This paper develops an economics-based explanation regarding the coordinating role informal norms play in preventing infectious diseases, with particular reference to HIV in the United States. Specifically, it highlights the way in which a set of informal norms, described as “the condom...

This paper reviews the economic literature on epidemiology, explores the collective action problem associated with disease prevention, and highlights the diverse formal and informal institutions that encourage preventative behavior. Within institutions of private sector firms, liability law, and...