The Unequal Nature of the Damage from COVID-19

Shanthi Nataraj, senior economist with the RAND Corporation, explains which communities and businesses have been hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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How Are Americans Paying Their Bills During the Pandemic?
About one-third of U.S. households have experienced a decline in income as a result of COVID-19. Roughly 30 percent are having difficulties paying their bills, with these problems highly concentrated among low-income households, as well as black and Hispanic households.
Jun 3, 2020
Katherine Grace Carman @KGCarman, Shanthi Nataraj
COVID-19's Depletion of Entry-Level Summer Jobs Can Have Long-Lasting Effects
Summer is typically when employment for young workers is at its highest. One of the many costs of the pandemic is lower employment rates. For young workers, it's not just an issue of lost wages; there is also an effect on their personal job history.
Jul 6, 2020
Matthew D. Baird
Is It Time for a Federal Pandemic Insurance Program?
Insurance companies for the most part are not contractually obligated to cover the enormous business interruption losses caused by social distancing and stay-at-home orders. How might the United States design a system for risk spreading and compensation for pandemics? And what roles should insurance and government play?
Jun 26, 2020
Lloyd Dixon, Bethany Saunders-Medina
COVID-19 and the Changing Nature of Work
Between February and May, one in six U.S. workers lost their jobs. Most were either laid off or unable to work because of coronavirus restrictions. The ability to telecommute protected against job loss. But of course not all jobs are conducive to telecommuting.
Jun 18, 2020
Philip Armour @economistphil, Katherine Grace Carman @KGCarman, et al.