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Coronavirus

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Overview

As COVID-19 continues to spread in the U.S. and around the globe, its effects have been wide-ranging and abrupt, throwing untold tens of millions out of work, shutting down societies and economies, shredding healthcare systems and safety nets. Social science researchers, including IPR’s interdisciplinary faculty experts, have also been hard at work to understand and address the coronavirus pandemic's ravaging effects on society at large.

Featured Expert(s)

Beth Redbird

Beth Redbird

IPR sociologist Beth Redbird launched a survey in March to ask U.S. participants about how they are experiencing life under coronavirus. The survey contains 125 social and behavioral questions, covering a wide variety of topics, including health and stress, household and institution responses, and social and community engagement.

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Thomas McDade

Thomas McDade

IPR biological anthropologist Thomas McDade is developing a new means of testing for antibodies in SARS-CoV-2, the official name for the virus that causes COVID-19. McDade’s approach will involve using a blood test to identify SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Those antibodies remain in the blood longer once the infection is gone.

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Charles F. Manski

Charles F. Manski

A March 16 report by Imperial College’s COVID-19 Response Team made waves in the media and had the effect of immediately shifting U.S. and U.K. policies from less invasive mitigation strategies to slow down rates of infection. However, IPR economist Charles F. Manski, an expert in decision making, argues that the report’s recommendation for suppression as the preferred policy option was unjustifiable because it was based on flawed modeling.

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Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach

Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach

IPR Director and economist Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach recommends policymakers take strong steps to firm up the social safety net given the damage the coronavirus pandemic has done to the economy. She points out, in a piece written with the Hamilton Project’s Lauren Bauer (PhD 2016), the stabilizing effects that programs like the Supplementary Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) have not just on families, but on the economy as they increase collective demand for goods.

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Research Roundup

Social Science Research in a COVID-19 World

IPR experts are responding to unparalleled calls from governments, foundations, and citizens for more evidence to answer pressing questions about the virus’ effect on our social, cultural, political, and economic institutions. These new projects include launching a survey on social and behavioral impacts and developing a test for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, as well as recommendations for how to strengthen the social safety net. Read more about their new and ongoing research related to COVID-19.