In April 2013, Teva Pharmaceuticals, a large generic drug manufacturer, hired a marketing executive with strong connections throughout the industry with the goal of exploring opportunities to increase profits. Or, in that marketing executive’s own words, to enact “price increase implementation.”

When COVID-19 swept the world in early 2020 and closed or restricted business activity, researchers and policymakers scrambled to determine the virus’s economic impact on everything from employment, income, and childcare to business closures, commercial property, and work-from-home strategies. Policymakers needed answers fast to plan the most efficacious responses and direct limited resources to benefit those who needed it the most.

On March 4, Michael Kremer presented his recent research during the South Asia Economic Policy...