The Role of Government in a Pandemic with Donald J. Boudreaux

Fall 2021 Pope Lecture (November 11, 2021) The most effective means of suppressing the spread of dangerous pathogens does not require government suppression of personal interactions. This truth holds with even greater force today, given modern medicine, communications, and affordable personal protective equipment. While it’s imaginable that pathogens of such virulence and lethality will arise that call for military-like regimentation of society, most pathogens—including SARS-CoV-2—are best countered by decentralized individual responses. Government’s role during a pandemic should be confined to the task of ensuring maximum possible scope for such responses. Dr. Donald J. Boudreaux is a Senior Fellow with the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, a Mercatus Center Board Member, and a Professor of economics and former economics department chair at George Mason University. He is the author of the books Global