COVID-19 Thought Leadership Digest: November 12, 2020

Today, we bring you faculty insights on the pandemic and innovation, localized restrictions, and how long it will take for the economy to bounce back. We also have key takeaways from our recent Corporate Social Responsibility Revisited conference, during which many industry experts discussed COVID-19’s impact on the social obligations of businesses. Get more details below.

COVID-19 Research and Insights from Chicago Booth Review

Video: How quickly will unemployment figures recover?
The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it a massive shock to the labor market, as many businesses have either shut down or experienced a drastic shift in demand. Booth's Matthew J. Notowidigdo says the picture may not be as bleak as it looks at first glance.

Would you trust a machine to pick a vaccine?
Machine learning is being tasked with an increasing number of important decisions, but the answers it generates involve a degree of uncertainty. Booth faculty are studying that uncertainty and exploring the limits of what machine learning can and can’t—indeed shouldn’t—do.

Video: What companies should remember when they engage with social issues
To be positively received, corporate responses to social issues, including COVID-19, need to include a significant commitment to the cause, suggests Pradeep K. Chintagunta.

Capitalisn't: Should we lock down again?
Cohosted by Luigi Zingales, this episode of the Stigler Center's podcast examines the trade-offs of different strategies for fighting COVID-19.

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

Select Thought Leadership in the Media

The economic challenges facing Joe Biden
Nov. 11 | Independent
Randall S. Kroszner stresses that bolstering America's testing and tracking infrastructure to enable adequate monitoring and suppression of outbreaks is crucial for getting the economy back on track.

The economy's struggles will shape Joe Biden's presidency
Nov. 9 | The Wall Street Journal
Austan D. Goolsbee says an uncontrollable new outbreak could create new stresses in financial markets and for small businesses that would lead to lasting economic damage.

A look at Donald Trump's economic scorecard
Nov. 5 | Bloomberg
Randall S. Kroszner joins the Stephanomics podcast to discuss trade, taxes, and trillions of dollars in coronavirus rescue funding.

If restaurants go, what happens to cities?
Nov. 3 | The New York Times
Prior to the pandemic, restaurants were a huge feature that attracted people to downtowns, suggests Erik Hurst.

Superstitions play a role in pandemic coping
Oct. 29 | AARP
"In these times when life feels more out of control, research suggests that those are the moments that people turn to magical thinking and superstitions more," says Jane L. Risen.

New rules for choosing suppliers
Oct. 27 | The Times Raconteur
Amid COVID-19, Nicole DeHoratius says buyers are starting to mine down to get a real sense of how viable their suppliers are (pg. 8).

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

COVID-19 Content across Campus

On shifting consumer behavior on the road to economic recovery
Watch Ann Mukherjee, AB '87, MBA '94, Brian Niccol, '03, and Jean-Pierre Dubé discuss how consumer behavior has changed during the pandemic.

Pandemic Economics: Deep Dive Series - The future of money?
On BFI's podcast, Eric Budish and Luigi Zingales join blockchain experts to help explain how Bitcoin functions and its implications for the future of money.

COVID-19 is reducing Americans' confidence across institutions
The latest US household survey from Marianne Bertrand and coauthors reveals that the pandemic caused a decline in confidence even for Americans who weren't directly impacted.

Stock prices, lockdowns, and economic activity in the time of coronavirus
A BFI working paper coauthored by Steven J. Davis finds that stricter lockdown policies drove large declines in national stock prices.

COVID-19 data sources for researchers
The research team at the Rustandy Center is compiling data sets to track COVID-19 data by state, including stay-at-home orders, business regulations, and COVID-19 cases by zip code.

UChicago research roundup
UChicago Magazine cited research from Austan D. Goolsbee and Chad Syverson that found the economic downturn this spring was driven more by consumer fear than government shutdowns.

VIRTUAL EVENTS

How to lead a hospital in a pandemic
November 18, 5 p.m. CT
The Harry L. Davis Center for Leadership will host a discussion between Booth's Dan Adelman and Rush University's Omar Lateef on how hospitals continue to fulfill their mission during the pandemic and what the future may hold for the industry.