COVID-19 Thought Leadership Digest: February 4, 2021

Since our last newsletter, Chicago Booth Magazine released a new issue, with several features dedicated to our community's response to the pandemic. Find highlights below. You'll also find top takeaways and the full video recording from our Economic Outlook event in Hong Kong. Stay tuned for highlights from yesterday's Economic Outlook event in London.

COVID-19 Research and Insights from Chicago Booth Review

The COVID-19 trolley problem
US public-health policy has fallen behind virus growth again and again, says Booth distinguished senior fellow John H. Cochrane.

What Blockbuster can teach us about leadership in a time of change
Professor John Paul Rollert talks to producer and former McKinsey consultant Mark Mitten about how executives can anticipate and react to a changing business environment.

Why is gender inequality so widespread?
Marianne Bertrand talks with Oxford's Linda Scott about the roots and repercussions of the "Double X Economy," including as it relates to the pandemic.

Why auditors hire graduates of local colleges
Research coauthored by Booth's Christopher Stewart suggests that in accounting, hiring locally has measurable benefits. He discusses whether this has changed in the age of COVID-19.

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

Select Thought Leadership in the Media

Some economists say the Paycheck Protection Program has not saved many jobs
February 2 | The New York Times
"It's just a really inefficient use of funds," said Eric Zwick, who has studied the Paycheck Protection Program.

Why we don't believe the big city obituary
February 2 | Bloomberg CityLab
Austan Goolsbee said he foresees a comeback for central cities because we are "much more productive when we are in person together."

Maximum employment? What it means post-pandemic may have changed already
February 1 | Reuters
Are we in for a prolonged full workforce recovery? Austan Goolsbee shares his perspective.

Put money in the hands of people who need it the most
January 26 | NDTV
Raghuram Rajan says India hopefully has escaped the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and that it should spend money on the poor, infrastructure development, and opening schools.

Fed set to look beyond possible post-pandemic inflation shock
January 25 | Reuters
"People are thirsting for clarity," said Randall Kroszner of the ongoing debate about how the Fed's new framework for raising interest rates will be applied.

The MBA class of COVID-19
January 23 | The Economist
Many top American business schools are reporting double-digit growth amid the pandemic. "We enrolled the largest full-time MBA class ever," noted dean Madhav Rajan.

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

COVID-19 Content across Campus

What challenges will Asian economies face in 2021?
At Economic Outlook Hong Kong, Randall Kroszner, Chang-Tai Hsieh, and Richard Wong, AB ’74, AM ’74, PhD ’81 (Economics), discussed the future of Asia's economies amid COVID-19.

Preparing for a pandemic: Accelerating vaccine availability
A BFI working paper from Eric Budish and Canice Prendergast analyzes the problem faced by governments in determining the scale and structure of procurement for vaccines.

Measuring movement and social contact with smartphone data: A real-time application to COVID-19
In this BFI working paper, Jonathan Dingel and coauthors discuss the suitability of smartphone data for quantifying movement and social contact.

Shots on goal: How to jumpstart the economy
On BFI's new podcast, The Pie, Austan Goolsbee and Randall Kroszner share what economists are learning from the pandemic and what we can expect in the weeks, months, and years ahead.

Chicago Booth Magazine

A year like no other
Rodney Jones-Tyson, ’98, Baird's chief risk officer and head of its COVID-19 response, shared his perspective on innovation, preparation, and giving back.

How can companies keep up with customers?
The CEOs of Chewy and Foxtrot Market offer insights about keeping customer needs front and center, no matter what 2021 has in store.

A pandemic pivot offers a clean start
When the pandemic eliminated his position as an executive in the cruise industry, Bryan Herdé, ’11, took the opportunity to reassess his career.

How can you stay creative while working remotely?
An alumna, a professor, and a student share how they’ve been able to think outside the box in a work-from-home world.

Meet the founders making strides amid uncertainty
Three Booth entrepreneurs discuss what it takes to find new direction, refine the business model, and move forward in a post-pandemic world.