covid-19 impact

Showing 211 - 240 of 275 results

Online learning out of reach for millions of students

May 1, 2020

UNESCO, the United Nations’ education agency, released data on April 21 revealing that half of all children currently out of school due to stay-at-home orders do not have access to a computer, and forty percent do not have access to the internet....

Healthcare sector takes a hit amidst the broader economic downturn

May 1, 2020

The news released on April 30 that the U.S. economy had shrunk 4.8 percent in the first quarter of 2020 confirmed that the country is poised to experience a deep recession. The analyses of Ford School economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers...

Ford School reopens fall 2020 masters application in wake of pandemic

Apr 30, 2020

Given the unusual public health and economic dislocations facing many service-oriented professionals, including returning Peace Corps Volunteers and Fulbright Fellows, the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy is pleased to...

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Ann Arbor may repurpose streets to accommodate pedestrian and cyclist social distancing

Apr 28, 2020

Since the implementation of the governor’s stay at home order, Ann Arbor’s vehicle traffic has declined markedly. Ann Arbor city council members may consider vehicle street closures in an effort to expand space available for pedestrians and cyclists...

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Detroit Metro Area Communities Study on COVID-19 draws national attention

Apr 28, 2020

A rapid-response Detroit Metro Area Communities Study (DMACS) survey found that 1 in 5 Detroiters will run out of money due to the COVID-19 crisis within the next three months. The DMACS survey asked wide-ranging questions from economic, social,...

Wolfers challenges U.S. business who seek immunity from coronavirus lawsuits

Apr 27, 2020

In a recent article published in Quartz, “U.S. businesses are seeking immunity from coronavirus lawsuits,” Ford School professor, Justin Wolfers, pushes back on calls by U.S. businesses for COVID-19 related immunity from liability. As some states...

Dramatic drop in remittances puts struggling communities around the world at risk

Apr 23, 2020

As the toll of the COVID-19 economic shutdown reverberates around the world, money sent home by foreign workers is drying up. Hundreds of billions of dollars are sent every year from countries where immigrants work to countries they call home or...

Youth Policy Lab releases Resource Guide for Nonprofits Seeking Public Assistance

Apr 23, 2020

April 23 press release from Youth Policy Lab: A new Michigan Resource Guide for Nonprofits Seeking COVID-19 FEMA Public Assistance provides timely information for Michigan nonprofits providing emergency response services as a result of...

Ali examines rising U.S.-China tensions over COVID-19 origins

Apr 23, 2020

Blame narratives over the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic are deepening rifts between the U.S. and China, according to Javed Ali, Towsley Policymaker in Residence at the Ford School. In a co-authored op-ed featured in The Hill on April 23, Ali...

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CLOSUP helps local governments navigate fiscal challenges during global pandemic

Apr 23, 2020

New research from the Center for Local State and Urban Policy (CLOSUP)’s Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS) measures the impact that the COVID-19 crisis will have on local fiscal health. CLOSUP anticipates local governments will be...

People sharing a public space with greenery, tables, umbrellas, and open space

Dean Barr on the need to do more for communities and small businesses

Apr 23, 2020

Hundreds of billions of dollars have been allocated to help small businesses and individuals in response to the COVID-19 financial crisis. Yet for low-income households and small businesses, accessing those funds has proved to be a challenge,...

Fintech can speed recovery payments to businesses and individuals

Apr 22, 2020

Financial technology, commonly known as fintech, is the intersection of financial services and technology. Fintech services that have become popular in recent years include mobile payments, online lending, and digital currency.Adrienne Harris, a...

Ford School alumni step up to support students during COVID-19 pandemic

Apr 20, 2020

Ford School alumni across the world are responding to the global pandemic from a variety of public policy angles. They are also looking at how they can help the next generation of leaders dedicated to the public good. The coronavirus outbreak...

Parthasarathy’s NSF grant will investigate how politics and public trust drive coronavirus response

Apr 20, 2020

It’s becoming clear that more diagnostic testing is key for the U.S. to stop the spread of COVID-19, re-open the economy, and better manage the next epidemic. Shobita Parthasarathy, director of the Ford School of Public Policy's Science, Technology,...

Beyond imitation and competition: how states can implement effective COVID-19 policies

Apr 17, 2020

To contain the spread of COVID-19, state and local governments are looking to their neighbors, often replicating and applying their policies to their own jurisdiction. It started with all 50 states calling for a state of emergency within days of...

Research team takes on food insecurity in Detroit in the face of coronavirus limitations

Apr 17, 2020

Access to food is a critical measure of societal disparity that has been brought into sharp relief by the COVID-19 pandemic. School lunch programs that previously helped bridge a gap for low income families are unavailable during school closures,...

U-M helping Detroit’s small businesses locate, navigate coronavirus-related financial aid

Apr 15, 2020

The University of Michigan is working with Detroit’s small businesses to help them find sources of federal financial aid amid the COVID-19 pandemic and assist them in navigating the rules and regulations they will encounter in the application...

More Americans are unemployed than records show, says Stevenson

Apr 15, 2020

More than 17 million Americans have applied for unemployment insurance in the wake of mandatory business closures protecting against COVID-19. Betsey Stevenson, professor at the Ford School, predicts that the number of unemployed Americans is...

New website answers Michiganders’ questions about federal stimulus checks

Apr 14, 2020

April 13 press release from Poverty Solutions: A new 2020 Coronavirus Stimulus Payment website launched today aims to make sure Michiganders receive their federal stimulus checks as soon as possible. The vast majority of Michigan residents are...

In times of crisis, electricity usage data can estimate economic damage, says Wolfers

Apr 10, 2020

With economic activity changing faster than standard statistical measures can keep up, economists are looking at other indicators to take the economy’s pulse. Justin Wolfers, professor at the Ford School, analyzed electricity usage to understand the...

Tompkins-Stange talks COVID-19 relief trade-offs

Apr 10, 2020

Ford School professor Megan Tompkins Stange is asking: What should the role be of philanthropy during the COVID-19 crisis? She studies the power and influence of philanthropy on public policy and politics. In a recent Vox article, “These are the...

Dr. Villavicencio (MPP’20) balances increasing demands of medical field with completing her MPP

Apr 9, 2020

Medical professionals like Dr. Jen Villavicencio (MPP ‘20) are enduring grueling professional and personal circumstances to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. VIllavicencio is a practicing OB-GYN and abortion provider, a lecturer at the University of...

Javed Ali draws parallels between 9/11 and COVID-19 responses

Apr 2, 2020

As the United States grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are looking to recent historical crises to provide insights into the challenges we currently face. Javed Ali, Towsley Policymaker in Residence at the Ford School, wrote an opinion...

Key decisions hurt Financial Stability Oversight Council in COVID-19 response, says Barr

Apr 2, 2020

In the aftermath of the 2008 recession, the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) was established in Title I of the Dodd-Frank Act, tasked to identify and monitor future threats before the next crisis. Now, during the current crisis brought...

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Poverty Solutions releases Michigan COVID-19 pandemic resource guide

Mar 27, 2020

March 27 press release from Poverty Solutions: A new Michigan COVID-19 Pandemic Resource Guide provides information on how to access various resources aimed at supporting Michiganders through the coronavirus pandemic and related economic...

Ford School economists comment on Federal response to COVID-19

Mar 27, 2020

A historic $2 trillion relief package has just been approved by Congress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent economic crisis. Professors Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers have weighed in on the relief package and the economic...

Shaefer discusses jump in joblessness that strains safety nets

Mar 27, 2020

With widespread shutdowns of businesses across the country due to COVID-19, states have seen a dramatic rise in the number of unemployed and those seeking unemployment benefits. This week, unemployment claims jumped 2000% in Michigan, putting the...

Luke Shaefer delivers a talk at the Ford School

Government’s response is the economic indicator to watch, according to Betsey Stevenson

Mar 25, 2020

In uncertain times, forecasters across sectors are looking for indicators that can help them accurately predict what’s going to happen next. Economists are no exception: there are many indicators that the economy is in dire straits due to the...

Michael S. Barr encourages the Federal Reserve to reform money-market funds

Mar 24, 2020

With the economy reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 crisis, the Federal Reserve has taken steps to shore up money-market funds, securing billions to lend as part of a broader effort to try and stabilize the markets. Ford School Dean Michael S....

Ford School economists: Immediate action can mitigate the economic impact of COVID-19

Mar 20, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the U.S. economy in unprecedented ways. This week, Ford School economic experts including Ford School dean Michael S. Barr, and professors Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers weigh in on what’s ahead in The New...