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Economics

How far could the Fed go in responding to COVID-19?
Arrow pointing downward superimposed over a graph of data points.

How far could the Fed go in responding to COVID-19?

Wharton’s Peter Conti-Brown discusses the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank’s effort to protect households, businesses and the economy from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Penn Today Staff

The risk coronavirus poses to our tenuous, complex supply chain
Colorful shipping containers piled high, with one being loaded by a truck.

The risk coronavirus poses to our tenuous, complex supply chain

A disruption to any single link, from factories overseas to the truck driver delivering goods the final mile, could have a ripple effect, according to researcher Steve Viscelli.

Michele W. Berger

Fed could bolster groups of businesses and localities with funds in G.O.P. bill

Fed could bolster groups of businesses and localities with funds in G.O.P. bill

Peter Conti-Brown of the Wharton School said the Federal Reserve should avoid helping specific industries with emergency funding. The banking system has a “convenient set of easy tools that allow policymakers and politicians to skip the burden of their own accountability,” said Conti-Brown. “It’s the kind of set the Fed does not want to make today—which is to pick winners and losers.”

Coronavirus paid sick leave bill ‘does not go far enough’ and leaves many workers unprotected, economists warn

Coronavirus paid sick leave bill ‘does not go far enough’ and leaves many workers unprotected, economists warn

Ioana Marinescu of the School of Social Policy & Practice spoke about the role of paid sick leave in preventing the spread of COVID-19. “Not paying sick leave may allow some businesses to stay afloat, instead of laying off everybody and therefore lowering employment,” she said. “But on the other hand this would spread the epidemic more, further compromising the economy and threatening the same businesses.”

Coronavirus cash: Is now the time to ‘go big’ with a basic income relief package?

Coronavirus cash: Is now the time to ‘go big’ with a basic income relief package?

Amy Castro Baker of the School of Social Policy & Practice spoke about the cash-assistance program proposed by the Trump administration. “There has been a body of research that’s being built up in the policy space for a long time around the idea of cash transfers,” she said. “We know that’s the most efficient way to respond to natural disasters.”

Driverless trucks being tested right now on public roads

Driverless trucks being tested right now on public roads

Steve Viscelli of the School of Arts and Sciences spoke about the impact of driverless trucks on the trucking industry. “I’ve identified two segments that I think are most at-risk. And that’s refrigerated and dry van truckload. And those constitute about 200,000 trucking jobs,” he said. “And then what’s called line haul, and they’re somewhere in the neighborhood of 80,000-90,000 jobs there.”

How emotional contagion exacts a toll
Face mask and bottle of hand sanitizer

How emotional contagion exacts a toll

From “Purell panic” to sold-out face masks, Wharton’s Sigal Barsade discusses how widespread panic is an emotional contagion amidst the coronavirus epidemic.

Penn Today Staff

The politics of health inequality
A person in a black dress and glasses stands against a wooden wall with arms crossed, looking at the camera, in the background is a huge window and people in chairs in front of the window.

Julia Lynch, associate professor of political science. Her new book "Regimes of Inequality: The Political Economy of Health and Wealth" looks at why health inequality as framed by politicians is impossible to tackle.

The politics of health inequality

The eight major Democratic candidates for president agree that Americans need expanded and more affordable health care. According to Julia Lynch, none of their proposed plans will solve the problem of heath inequality in the U.S.

Kristen de Groot