Integrated Economic Analysis Needed to Advance Short Term Decision-Making in the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic

We are facilitating a Rapid Response Webinar to bring economists, health scientists, and experts in related disciplines together to address key questions for the COVID-19 response.

COVID-19 is forcing policymakers, business, and private citizens to seek answers to economic questions in real-time. They need advice today about best responses to address the challenges created by the pandemic. Economists working with other scientists are well-positioned to help answer these questions. We have the tools and access to existing data sets that can contribute to answers, but many may not know the precise COVID-19 questions that need to be addressed now or who else is interested in working together on these questions.

For this webinar, we have identified experts currently working on these issues. They will provide brief summaries (5 minutes each) of the most essential research needs and data availability in their respective spheres.

Here are few examples of critical needs identified thus far: 1) achieving social distancing gains at lower social costs, 2) using econometric tools to improve inference with poor testing data, 3) leveraging existing data sets to understand risk tradeoffs from children at home vs. school, 4) using congestion models to aid hospital queuing decision, 5) managing supply chains safely as we reduce spatial distancing, 6) using behavioral insights to increase compliance with health guidelines and distancing, and more.