Penn Today asked economist Hanming Fang, Class of 1965 Term Professor of Economics and professor of health care management in the School of Arts and Sciences, to weigh in on lessons for public health in the wake of the outbreak. He is an applied microeconomist whose research covers topics ranging from social economics and psychology and economics to welfare reform and health insurance markets.
He recently gave a “60-Second Lecture” discussing public policy tools during the pandemic, part of a special digital adaptation of the Penn Arts and Sciences’ 60-Second Lectures series, and his just-released working paper quantified the effects of the lockdown of the city of Wuhan on Jan. 23. It showed the lockdown played a crucial role in reducing cases of COVID-19 in other Chinese cities and halting the spread of the virus.