The Coase theorem would seem to come into play here. We should be able to pay West African nations enough to compensate them for any harm of a travel ban.
We could make that payment in kind, too, to avoid the possibility of money going straight into the rulers’ pockets. That payment in kind could be in the form of health workers and equipment going there to help fight the outbreak.
I’m not sure this would fully solve the problem Christian mentions in the second half of his comment. The problem is that trust is priceless, which may impose very high transaction costs.
The Coase theorem would seem to come into play here. We should be able to pay West African nations enough to compensate them for any harm of a travel ban.
We could make that payment in kind, too, to avoid the possibility of money going straight into the rulers’ pockets. That payment in kind could be in the form of health workers and equipment going there to help fight the outbreak.
Which...is happening.
I’m not sure this would fully solve the problem Christian mentions in the second half of his comment. The problem is that trust is priceless, which may impose very high transaction costs.