Health versus wealth: On the distributional effects of controlling a pandemic

Large portions of many countries’ economies have been shuttered to slow the spread of COVID-19. Why, three months into the pandemic, does the optimal policy response remain so controversial? This column examines how the welfare effects of shutdown policies vary across different types of households. The model predicts that some groups – young workers in sectors deemed non-essential – would benefit from ending the current shutdown, while others – the old – will surely lose. Current disagreements over when to end shutdowns are thus easy to understand.

Πηγή: Voxeu

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