US economic activity contracted sharply during 2020 as COVID-19 spread and government introduced policies aimed at curbing the virus. Understanding the impact of the pandemic on economic activity as well as the effectiveness and economic impact of health and containment policies has been a major challenge faced by policymakers. The fundamental issue is that economic activity, COVID-19's spread, and health and containment policies are interconnected — they simultaneously influence each other. In a recent working paper, we develop a methodology to investigate the causal linkages among COVID-19's spread, health and containment policies, and economic activity.1 In this two-part essay, we present a nontechnical summary of our approach and main findings. In particular, Part I explains our methods and summarizes how COVID-19 has affected economic activity and government policies. Part II describes the effects of government policies on COVID-19's spread and economic activity. more »

H. Con. Res. 39 — Rep. Karen Bass: A bill to remove administrative barriers to participation of Indian tribes in federal child welfare programs, and increase federal funding for tribal child welfare programs; Rep. Jackie Speier: A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress that Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 applies to the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA), and the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) should work to prevent discrimination on the basis of sex in its programs and activities; Rep. Brad Wenstrup: — A bill to improve the employer-provided child care tax credit; Rep. Julia Brownley: A bill to increase the frequency that the Advisory Committee on Women Veterans shall submit a report to the secretary of Veterans Affairs; Rep. Ann Kuster: — A bill to reauthorize grants for the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. more »

"Overall, one-in-four 2020 voters (25%) had not voted in 2016. About a quarter of these (6% of all 2020 voters) showed up two years later – in 2018 – to cast ballots in the highest-turnout midterm election in decades. Those who voted in 2018 but not in 2016 backed Biden over Trump in the 2020 election by about two-to-one (62% to 36%). Both Trump and Biden were able to bring new voters into the political process in 2020. The 19% of 2020 voters who did not vote in 2016 or 2018 split roughly evenly between the two candidates (49% Biden vs. 47% Trump). However, as with voters overall, there was a substantial age divide within this group. Among those under age 30 who voted in 2020 but not in either of the two previous elections, Biden led 59% to 33%, while Trump won among new or irregular voters ages 30 and older by 55% to 42%. Younger voters also made up an outsize share of these voters: Those under age 30 made up 38% of new or irregular 2020 voters, though they represented just 15% of all 2020 voters."  more »

This book packs a lot of punch into 145 pages. The eleven 2019/20 Presidential debates allowed more women than ever before to stand up and be heard...Along the way the women were often attacked, though not so viciously as when they ran for President. Trump called Warren ‘Pocahontas’. The press said Klobuchar was a mean boss. Williamson was dismissed as an aging hippie. Some of the women handled these attacks better than others – but that’s true of men as well. Above all, they had to deal with the issue of “electability” – could a woman, any woman, beat Trump. All told stories from their lives to illustrate their themes. None were rags-to-riches stories. Nor did they go into politics the old-fashioned way, by inheriting an office from a male relative. They worked their way up the political ladder, though some had doors opened for them while others had to pound on those doors. In her final chapter Gutgold asks “Did Six Women Running for President 2020 Change the Rhetoric of Women and Presidential Politics?” To find out her answer, you’ll have to read the book.    more »