COVID-19 Thought Leadership Digest: April 22, 2020

In the past few days, our faculty have shared their recommendations for supporting small businesses, balancing economic recovery and public health, and other issues related to the COVID-19 crisis. You can hear their expert insights during several upcoming webinars, including the first-ever virtual Economic Outlook.

COVID-19 Research and Insights from Chicago Booth Review

Video: Could the COVID-19 crisis permanently affect the US economy?
Booth's Joseph S. Vavra says that policy makers should focus on preventing events that could cause persistent economic disruption.

How quantitative models can help policy makers respond to COVID-19
Good policy making recognizes and adapts to the uncertainty inherent in model building, suggests Booth's Lars Peter Hansen.

Video: The challenge for businesses in the age of COVID-19
US policy makers are spending a lot of money trying to keep the economy afloat. Constantine Yannelis says the focus should be on making sure small businesses have access to liquidity.

A simple framework to help revive the US economy
Booth's Eric Budish has developed a model for opening up parts of the economy while controlling the spread of COVID-19.

Select Thought Leadership in the Media

Video: Morning Money virtual interview with Austan Goolsbee
April 22 | Politico
Austan Goolsbee discusses the pandemic's impact on the United States and the latest efforts to reopen the economy.

Raghuram Rajan cautions against giving communal color to coronavirus
April 22 | The Economic Times
According to Raghuram Rajan, nationalism that was already pretty strong before the virus is getting accentuated by the effects of COVID-19.

Publicly traded firms get $300M in small-business loans
April 21 | Associated Press
Michael Minnis estimates the Paycheck Protection Program might need to dispense $720 billion to meet demand.

What you need to know about getting approved for a new credit card amid the coronavirus
April 21 | Wirecutter
Most major banks are providing relief for existing cardholders, but they may be less inclined to take on new ones, suggests Michael Weber.

To stay up-to-date with media mentions, follow Booth on Twitter and its other social channels.

Featured Content from Booth and UChicago

How to save 40 percent of the Payroll Protection Program's costs
ProMarket
Citing John Barrios, Michael Minnis, Jonathan Dingel, and Brent Neiman, this blog post argues that need-based loan forgiveness would save resources without impacting the PPP's efficacy.

Financial Trust Index, COVID-edition: The CDC is the most trusted institution in America
ProMarket
Luigi Zingales coauthored a special wave of the Financial Trust Index that found a high level of compliance with social distancing guidelines and stay-at-home orders among Americans.

How are Americans coping with the COVID-19 crisis? 7 findings from the first wave of a longitudinal survey
The Rustandy Center
The Rustandy blog shared research findings from the new joint study by the Rustandy Center and UChicago Poverty Lab. Researchers include Booth's Marianne Bertrand. 

Upcoming Events and Webinars

Guiding your startup through COVID-19 with investor-in-residence Guy Turner, ’10
Thursday, April 23, Noon
In this virtual workshop, the Polsky Center’s investor-in-residence will discuss COVID-19’s impact on the entrepreneurial landscape and provide guidance to founders. Space is limited.

COVID-19 and economics: China, Asia and beyond
Friday, April 24, 8:30 a.m.
This is the first in a new series from the Becker Friedman Institute to discuss emerging research on the implications of COVID-19 and its impact on China, Asia, and beyond.

Money in politics, COVID-19, and the future of democracy
Tuesday, April 28, Noon
Join the Stigler Center to discuss the implications of the COVID-19 crisis for democracy with Sciences Po's Julia Cagé, Columbia Business School's Andrea Prat and Booth's Guy Rolnik.

COVID-19 and the global economic outlook
Thursday, April 30, Noon
At the first virtual Economic Outlook, Randall S. Kroszner, Austan D. Goolsbee, and Raghuram G. Rajan will discuss how the health crisis will shape the global economy in the year ahead.