I think one of the theoretical contributions of the paper conceptual is to crystallize that idea that the alternatives. There are plenty of quack medicines outside their jurisdiction. And closing the schools are quack medicine sold to us by the teachers union other countries weren't doing it. But the teachers unions not under the jurisdiction of the FDA so they can sell close schools as a quack medicine people fall for it. We didn't have to be tested. Whatever we just did it. This is an issue I actually discussed with Scott, probably toward the end of both of our terms. We weren't in COVID yet. I also saw this in opioids. When you guys think about opioid policy, which
When there's no vaccine on the market, people will look for other ways to be safe, including school closures and the handwashing of groceries. Listen as economist Casey Mulligan of the University Chicago talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about the costs of delaying a vaccine, the hidden costs of FDA regulation, and what we learned and failed to learn about the Covid pandemic.