Using mean field game theory for epidemic modeling and control
We are exploring the use of the mean field game theory to epidemic modelling with the idea of capturing the effect of strategic behavior of individuals in a general population on the dynamics of the epidemic. The research question we seek to answer is: Could we incentivise rational, intelligent agents in the population to help induce a socially optimal outcome in a pandemic situation? The motivation for this research question arose, clearly, from the Covid 19 pandemic which has devastated the world like no other pandemic ever before. Mean field games have a natural appeal because of the need to model population scale effects of pandemics.
Our survey paper provides an overview of the current state-of-the-art on this topic:
Amal Roy, Chandramani Singh, and Y. Narahari. Recent Advances in a Mean Field Approach to Modeling and Control of Epidemics. arXiv:2208.14765. August 2022. Also, to appear in : Sadhana, Indian academy Proceedings in Engineering Sciences, 2023.
The following paper conducts a holistic analysis of epidemic dynamics with vaccinations for both the socially optimal case and the noncooperative, rational individuals case. Based on this analysis, we suggest suitable policy measures to induce sustainable, socially optimal behavior from rational individuals during epidemics.
Amal Roy, Pranoy Das, Soumyarup Sadhukhan, Chandramani Singh, and Y. Narahari. A Mean Field Game Approach to Promote Sustainable, Socially Optimal Behavior in Rational Individuals for Effective Management of Epidemics. Poster Presentation, ACM Conference on Computing and Sustainability, COMPASS 2023.