COVID-19 Thought Leadership Digest: April 24, 2020

Today brings several new articles and media mentions featuring Booth faculty insights on how to best respond to the COVID-19 crisis. Chicago Booth Review has also released two more engaging faculty videos, while the Becker Friedman Institute announced a new podcast on the economics of the pandemic. Booth Stories has a feature on the Rustandy Center's COVID-19 student volunteer program.

COVID-19 Research and Insights from Chicago Booth Review

Capitalisn't: Coronavirus—the risk of reopening
On the latest episode of the Stigler Center podcast, Booth's Luigi Zingales and his co-host discuss some reasons to be cautious with lifting lockdowns.

Only 37 percent of US jobs can be done at home
Telecommuting could become cornerstone to economic continuity plans, but Booth's Jonathan Dingel and Brent Neiman find that just 37 percent of jobs can be done entirely from home.

How retailers inadvertently contribute to hoarding
A study of the Kilts Center's Nielsen datasets suggests that retailers may encourage stocking up by attempting to avoid the appearance of price gouging during the pandemic.

Video: Policymaking at a time of uncertainty
Booth's Constantine Yannelis says economics offers guidance on how to approach decision-making in a context of great uncertainty: proceed with caution.

Video: The power of social connection in the age of social distancing
For all the ways COVID-19 may make us feel helpless, we are each empowered to make a substantive difference in someone else's day, says Booth's Nicholas Epley.

To stay up-to-date with CBR's content, follow its COVID-19 page and social channels. 

Select Thought Leadership in the Media

The necessity of a global debt standstill that works
April 23 | Project Syndicate
To enable emerging and developing economies to withstand the economic shock of COVID-19, the debt standstill must include all private creditors, suggests Booth's Chang-Tai Hsieh.

COVID-19 is pushing Americans into early retirement
April 23 | Quartz
A new study coauthored by Booth's Michael Weber finds that early retirements almost fully explain the historic drop in the number of Americans looking for work.

You’re not going back to normal office life for a long, long time
April 22 | Vice
When workers start returning to work, employers will need to figure out the smallest number of people they need in the office to minimize the risk of an outbreak, says Jonathan Dingel.

The Finance 202: Economists and banking analysts debate whether new small business money will be enough
April 22 | The Washington Post
According to Michael Minnis, the recent funding boost gets the Paycheck Protection Program close to the $720 billion it needs to keep eligible companies afloat until early summer.  

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

Featured Content from Booth and UChicago

Booth COVID-19 volunteers program pairs MBA skills with community need
Learn how a new program from the Rustandy Center helps Booth students rise to the occasion during the current crisis.

Podcast: Pandemic Economics
A new podcast from the Becker Friedman Institute will feature insights from top economists to help listeners navigate the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis.

Small Business Bootcamp Recaps
The Polsky Center posted several recap articles and videos of its recent webinar series, which included insights from professor George Wu and professor emeritus Joshua Klayman.

Supporting European businesses in the COVID-19 crisis
Booth's Canice Prendergast, Veronica Guerrieri, Christian Leuz, and Lubos Pastor participated in the latest European IGM Economic Experts panel.

Income support in the COVID-19 crisis
The IGM Forum posted results from the latest survey of its economic experts panel with Booth's Marianne Bertrand, Austan Goolsbee, Steven Kaplan, Anil Kashyap, and Richard Thaler.

Back to work? The political preparation for "phase 2" of the pandemic is a matter of trust
According to a special wave of the Financial Trust Index coauthored by Luigi Zingales, most Americans are unwilling to give up their privacy to allow a digital form of tracking.

Upcoming Events and Webinars

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.

Stay at home with Polsky - Founder's story: Ben Schmuck
Thursday, April 30, Noon
An upcoming webinar in this Polsky series will feature alumnus Ben Schmuck, '14, who will share his unique entrepreneurial journey and discuss his work as a mentor at the Polsky Center.