COVID-19 began spreading at the end of 2019. Our posts cover the ensuing drop in employment; differential impacts on workers by income, race, ethnicity, gender, education, and parental status; unemployment insurance and other social supports to assist those impacted; the mounting red ink on federal and state budgets; and ramifications in areas ranging from developing countries, to education, the environment, and beyond.
April 8, 2020
Interest rates on municipal bonds have risen dramatically, which has implications for investors, cities and states, and for state and local pension benefits.
April 6, 2020
The Unemployed and Essential Low-Wage Workers After the CARES Act
April 5, 2020
Innovations within the health system and in personal behaviors played an essential role in stopping the outbreak and limiting the economic damage it created.
March 30, 2020
Low-wage hourly service workers immediately experienced drastically reduced work hours and layoffs. Few have begun to receive government support measures.
March 26, 2020
It is hard to distinguish the growth of COVID-19 cases from increases in testing. Could looking at the deaths from the disease provide a clearer picture?
March 26, 2020
Cash payments provide a financial lifeline through this time of income loss. Workers in the hardest hit industries have low earnings and few savings.
March 23, 2020
A resolution of the underlying cause and a dramatic policy response that mitigates the economic damage are needed to stanch the acute phase of an economic crisis.
March 22, 2020
Considerable additional funding and modifications of the current UI system are needed in order to provide a vital financial lifeline during the COVID-19 pandemic.
March 20, 2020
Effectively using cash disbursements in the coronavirus crisis requires finding the infrastructure to ensure that payments are rapid, widespread and equitable.