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• 05.28.20

  Lessons on the Economics of Pandemics from Recent Research

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  Sewon Hur Michael Jenuwine

  The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a dual public health and economic crisis. Many economic studies in the past few months have explored the relationship between the spread of disease and economic activity, the role for government intervention in the crisis, and the effectiveness of testing and containment policies. This Commentary summarizes the methods and findings of a number of these studies. The economic research conducted to date shows that adequate testing and selective containment measures can be effective in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the absence of adequate testing capabilities, optimal interventions involve social distancing and other lockdown measures. Read More

• 05.26.20

  An Uncommon Crisis: COVID-19 and its Disproportionate Impacts on Vulnerable Communities

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  Mary Helen Petrus

  When we asked community partners how COVID-19’s disruptions are impacting low- and moderate income families and neighborhoods and traditionally underserved communities, they heard this: the virus is impacting the already vulnerable disproportionately, and in a way that accentuates existing disparities. Read More

• 05.21.20

  The Labor-Market Skills of Foreign-born Workers in the United States, 2007–2017

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  Rubén Hernández-Murillo

  Various measures of the labor-market skills of foreign-born workers have improved during the past decade. The largest gains are concentrated among immigrants from Mexico, who traditionally have shown the lowest skill levels among foreign-born workers. The data suggest that the apparent increase in skills is the result of a shift in the distribution of immigrants coming to the United States, with increased immigration of workers from Asia and a precipitous decline in immigration of workers from Mexico. Read More