Advancing Behavioral Dynamics in Health Policy Decision-Making: Integrating Insights for Effective Vaccination Policy and Addressing AMR

Author(s): Matteo Maria Cati

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses an urgent global health crisis, necessitating evidence-based policies informed by behavioral science to improve infection control. This paper aims to advance an integrated framework utilizing key insights from seminal works in behavioral economics and tragic choice theory to address the behavioral dynamics underlying suboptimal vaccine uptake and AMR mitigation efforts. Through a multi-level analysis encompassing individual decision-making biases and systemic governance issues, a set of tailored interventions are proposed, including social norms marketing, targeted incentives, and consistent messaging grounded in scientific consensus. Additionally, the significant economic and healthcare burdens associated with AMR proliferation are examined, underscoring the need for immediate action. While promising, limitations around existing behavioral approaches are discussed, accompanied by an agenda for future research focused on sustainability, scalability, and applicability across diverse contexts. By providing a synthesis of behavioral, ethical, and economic perspectives, this paper contributes a holistic decision framework for developing more effective vaccination and antimicrobial stewardship policies. Key downstream implications for health systems, agricultural practices, and global cooperation are discussed.