Covid-19: Public Safety vs Economic Collapse

The Covid-19 pandemic has over the course of the spring resulted in global public health and economic crisis. Although there have been variations in Government responses throughout the world, the United States has been particularly criticized for its action and more specifically inaction to stabilize communities throughout the ongoing shelter in place. As a result, much debate has emerged on the tension between ensuring public safety and avoiding economic collapse. This lecture intends to give an overview of the monetary actions taken by U.S. policymakers to address the crisis and explore the possible alternative routes that could have been taken.

We will examine the CARES Act, the Municipal Liquidity Facility program by the Federal Reserve, and some of the options outside the mainstream such as the Automatic Boost to Communities Act and calls for a Green Recovery. It is believed that things may never and should never “go back to normal” post-pandemic. As the country is now in a wave of protest and resistance to police brutality and systemic racism, we will explore the future of public policy amidst one of the most politically intense years of a generation.

Teacher: Andres Bernal

Andrés resides in New York City where he is a Lecturer of Urban Studies at CUNY Queens College and Doctoral student at The New School For Public Engagement. His research focuses on the Green New Deal as a site of political communication and policy analysis.

Pay-what-you-can $10/$15/$20