Harvard University’s Dr. Edward Glaeser joins Dan to examine the implications of COVID-19 on the economics of American cities. Why has the role of cities in battling pandemics changed dramatically over the past century? Will urban or rural communities recover more quickly after the economic shutdown ends? What is the best way to reduce the economic harm to workers who lost their incomes because of the shutdown? Should cities approach their housing and infrastructure policies differently going forward? Dr. Glaeser also sheds light on the more fundamental question of why cities exist in the first place.

Dr. Edward Glaeser is the Fred and Eleanor Glimp Professor of Economics in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. He has published dozens of papers on the growth, law, and economics of cities. His work is focused on the determinants of city growth and the role of cities as centers of idea transmission. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago.