Research Briefs·Feb 1, 2024

Quantifying the Social Value of a Universal COVID-19 Vaccine and Incentivizing Its Development

A universal COVID-19 vaccine that is effective against existing and future variants could provide the United States population with $1.5–$2.6 trillion more in social value than variant-specific boosters. The social value of a universal vaccine eclipses the cost of incentivizing manufacturers to develop it.
Rachel Glennerster, Thomas Kelly, Claire T. McMahon, and Christopher M. Snyder
Based on BFI Working Paper No. 2024-05, “Quantifying the Social Value of a Universal COVID-19 Vaccine and Incentivizing Its Development”

View PDF View Working Paper
Related People
Related Research

More on this topic

Interactive Research Briefs·May 14, 2024

Return to Office and the Tenure Distribution

Austin Wright, David Van Dijcke, and Florian Gunsilius
Return-to-office (RTO) mandates drive employees away from firms, with senior employees leaving at the highest rates, likely leading to significant human capital costs in terms of output, productivity, innovation, and competitiveness for the companies implementing strict RTO policies.
Topics: COVID-19, Employment & Wages
Research Briefs·Mar 7, 2024

What Drives Inflation? Lessons from Disaggregated Price Data

Elisa Rubbo
US inflation in the early phases of the COVID pandemic was entirely driven by disruptions in supply and demand across industries, whereas most of the subsequent increase in consumer prices is driven by aggregate demand.
Topics: COVID-19, Monetary Policy
Research Briefs·Nov 15, 2023

Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts: Aggregate vs. Aggregated Inflation Expectations

Alexander Dietrich, Edward S. Knotek II, Kristian O. Myrseth, Robert W. Rich, Raphael Schoenle, and Michael Weber
A novel measure of consumer inflation expectations that is constructed by combining forecasts from across different categories of consumption is consistently lower than conventional measures. It is also less volatile and a stronger predictor of consumers’ spending plans.
Topics: COVID-19