COVID-19 Thought Leadership Digest: August 20, 2020

Since our last newsletter, Booth faculty have shared their insights and research on the effects of the CARES Act and how the lapse in benefits could impact personal consumption, unemployment, evictions, and more. In a new article from Booth Stories, several professors also shared how working from home has intersected with their research as the pandemic unfolds. Read these and other updates from the Booth community below.

COVID-19 Research and Insights from Chicago Booth Review

Video: How will COVID-19 change management and leadership?
On the Big Question, George Wu, Ayelet Fishbach, and others field questions from students and alumni about how COVID-19 is changing various aspects of management and leadership.

How effective were stimulus checks in the US?
Household spending responses were driven largely by access to cash, according to research coauthored by Booth's Constantine Yannelis.

Video: Why partisanship affected Americans' pandemic perceptions
The partisan divide on the threat posed by COVID-19 was reflected in individuals' social-distancing behavior, suggests former Booth professor John Barrios.

Most of us can't work from home
In case you missed it, check out this COVID-19 Q&A with Brent Neiman about how much work can continue during the pandemic and differences across cities and countries.

Better allocating ventilators could save thousands of lives
In this COVID-19 Q&A, professor Dan Adelman discusses how to improve patient access to ventilators, the challenges of allocation, and more.

Follow CBR's COVID-19 page and social channels for the latest insights from Booth faculty.

Select Thought Leadership in the Media

We will see widespread bankruptcies in the US, says former Fed governor
August 19 | CNBC Street Signs Europe
Booth's Randall Kroszner discusses the US housing market and SME bankruptcies amid the pandemic.

The US forced major manufacturers to build ventilators. Now they're piling up unused in a strategic reserve.
August 18 | The Washington Post
The US ordered double the number of ventilators needed in the worst-case scenario, which involved no equipment sharing between states, says Dan Adelman.

Congress fails to reach stimulus deal, leaving tens of millions of Americans desperate for relief
August 14 | CNBC
If the lapse in COVID-19 relief benefits lasts into September, Erik Zwick says he would expect to see defaults, business closures, and personal bankruptcies start to pick up.

What economists fear will happen without more unemployment aid
August 11 | FiveThirtyEight
Economists surveyed by the Initiative on Global Markets and FiveThirtyEight suggest that personal consumption will most likely decline if unemployment aid isn't renewed by September 1.

Is there such a thing as a 'good' or 'bad' recession?
August 11 | BBC Future
Because the current recession is such a complicated mix of supply and demand shocks, it's harder to predict how government interventions will work, says Veronica Guerrieri.

To stay up-to-date with media mentions, follow Booth's In the News page and social channels.

COVID-19 Content across Campus

Booth Stories: Responding to a pandemic while living through one
Professors Joseph Vavra, Lindsey Lyman, ’08, and João Granja, PhD ’13, share how their home lives intersect with their professional and scholarly work as the pandemic unfolds.

Pandemic Economics: Navigating uncertainty
On BFI's podcast, Lars Peter Hansen and Constantine Yannelis outline what economic theory offers to decision-makers amid uncertainty and what it says about COVID-19 policy to date.

BFI working paper: How did US consumers use their stimulus payments?
In a large-scale survey, Michael Weber and coauthors study how the large one-time transfers to individuals from the CARES Act affected their consumption, saving, and labor-supply decisions.

Video: Coping with the labor market consequences of the pandemic
The Initiative on Global Market hosted a panel discussion with Steven Davis, Joseph Vavra, and Robert Topel on the effects of the CARES Act.

The persuasive effect of Fox News: How increases in Fox News viewership reduced compliance with social distancing guidelines
ProMarket shared research coauthored by Jean-Pierre Dubé about the media's role in sowing distrust in scientific experts and scientific evidence in the determination of public policies.