Author Archives: Hannah Krumholz

As counties begin to lift stay at home restrictions, factory workers are increasingly susceptible to contracting COVID 19, as it is very challenging to social distance in a production line. Measures involving taking the temperature of workers and distancing during breaks have been employed, yet little has changed regarding the close proximity workers are in on the production line itself. Many of amazon’s workers have chosen to voice their concerns regarding the warehouse conditions, and most of those who have spoken up have been fired or warned that this is intolerable.  Emily Cunningham, one of amazon’s workers who spoke up, Continue reading Essential workers fired for speaking up about COVID19 health risks→

In past recessions, we have seen that high levels of uncertainty hold a strong influence on economic performance. Lack of confidence or uncertainty involving expectations discourages decision making; essentially, businesses find that the cost of investing or making a costly decision exceeds the hoped-for benefit, given that there is no baseline upon which to estimate the likelihood of the optimal situation’s occurrence. With this said, it is important to pause and discuss the distinction between risk and uncertainty, as these terms are often used interchangeably.  The unfavorable outcome of a known risk can be insured against during the decision-making process Continue reading How people, rather than policy makers, drive the economy in times of uncertainty→

The CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securities Act) passed in late march was the largest stimulus package passed in modern US history. This complex bill’s allocations can be simplified in the following chart: While this is certainly a good start, there are many shortcomings to this plan. One of which is the unnecessary excess funding given to big businesses (through backing up a new federal reserve program) that are much more capable of fending for themselves during this time than are small businesses. The strategy here is that the functionality of our economy relies on big businesses, but Continue reading Where the funding from the most recent stimulus package is ACTUALLY going→

The closing of restaurants, schools, and hotels has left many farmers with no choice but to put thousands of gallons of milk and pounds and pounds of fresh produce to waste. The nation’s largest dairy cooperative, Dairy Farmers of America, estimates that farmers are dumping as much as 3.7 million gallons of milk each day. A single chicken processor is smashing 750,000 unhatched eggs every week. Although this decline in demand from restaurants, schools, and hotels has translated to a spike in food sales among grocery stores, as families are forced to eat at home, the increases are not great Continue reading Food Waste Amidst a Time of Food Scarcity→

Recently, a growing number of “influencer” families have taken advantage of the massive gains available through collaborating with brands and posting content on social media. Instagram and Youtube are the primary platforms hosting this content, but youtube in particular provides an option to monetize posts through selling ads on videos. Companies featured in the ads pay, on average, 10-30 cents per 30 second viewing or click; this revenue is then split between youtube (45%) and the creator (55%). This translates to brands saving millions through ditching traditional forms of advertising, influencers profiting massively in minutes, and youtube reaping the benefits of Continue reading The Rising Market of “Kidfluencers”→