Coming to grips with the failure of lockdowns is important for several reasons. Dozens of studies show that lockdowns were an ineffective pandemic response. The list just got longer. In May, Youyang Gu, an MIT-trained engineer and data scientist, released data showing that government restrictions were not

A new NBER paper titled “Why Is All Covid 19 News Bad News?” shows how US media fanned the flames of public panic. On February 18, the Oxford Mail published an article headlined “Scientists working on a coronavirus vaccine in Oxford.” The article explained that Sarah Gilbert,

Restaurants, bars, health-beauty, and retail are among the sectors hardest hit, a new Yelp report shows. Anew economic impact report from Yelp shows that a majority of businesses on the platform that closed during the Covid 19 pandemic will not be reopening. Data show a total of

The Chinese philosopher Zhuang Zhou (aka Zhuangzi) is credited with working out one of the most important economic concepts in the world: spontaneous order. There is a famous scene in The Matrix where Neo (Keanu Reeves) visits the Oracle, a wise, mysterious, and powerful figure who can see

The economic consequences of the COVID 19 lockdowns are well-chronicled. In the US, more than 100,000 businesses have been wiped out. More than 40 million jobs are gone. The federal debt has surged to $26.3 trillion. These are daunting figures and serious problems. But in some ways,