
Social Security for wealthy retirees promotes greater bequests, more inequality
An analysis by Rochester economist Kegon Tan shows that increases and decreases in payments for the affluent affect what they leave behind, not what they spend.

Social distancing has stabilized, but failed to reverse, the spread of COVID-19
According to a new study by data scientists, social distancing measures like closing schools and restaurants sharply decreased the doubling rate of confirmed cases, but COVID-19 is still spreading.

Teaching a large lab class—virtually
Biology professors Dragony Fu and Alexis Stein have creatively adapted a 250-plus-student class—with a lab—to a virtual environment.

President Sarah Mangelsdorf elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences
President Sarah Mangelsdorf has been elected to one of the nation’s most highly regarded academic organizations, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Narayana Kocherlakota to Fed: Stop banks from paying dividends
In advance of this week’s Fed meeting, Kocherlakota calls on the Fed to prohibit banks from paying dividends to shareholders. “Banks should be keeping as much capital as they can,” he says.

Ethicists: COVID-19 pandemic a ‘wake-up call’
Philosophy faculty explore moral dilemmas presented by the crisis and how they intersect with larger structural questions.

Perception of US democracy tanks after Trump impeachment
The nonpartisan Bright Line Watch research group finds that perceptions of the health of US democracy clearly declined after the president’s impeachment.

Faculty couple reflects on the challenges—and surprises—of pandemic life
For history professors Molly Ball and Pablo Sierra Silva, adjusting to online teaching and caring for three young children has been a learning experience.

Rochester economist: Without stronger leadership, ‘disaster’ lies ahead
Without a coordinated system of testing, tracing, and quarantining for COVID-19, economic activity cannot resume—and the downturn will be steeper and longer than any since before World War II, says Rochester economist Narayana Kocherlakota.

University and area health organizations partner to promote COVID-19 prevention information
Area health care providers and organization have partnered to create an informed community-wide campaign to amplify key messages about COVID-19 that local citizens need to know to stay healthy.