COVID’s Economic Impact to College Towns Like Tallahassee!

FSU Economics Professor Joe Calhoun joins the show again. In this episode we discuss the risk/reward decision process regarding COVID. What are you willing to risk when it comes to staying free of the COVID virus? Mental health, economic vitality, and normalcy  are all a cost if we go 100% lock-down to avoid catching the COVID virus. We don't want the cost of avoiding COVID to be greater than the effect of COVID itself. We then discuss the outlook for FSU with on-campus attendance and the financial fall-out to Tallahassee for the reduction in attendance on-campus. This hit is not just a Tallahassee thing ... it will be seen on college campuses across the US. 

We then spent the balance of the episode discussing the economic theory that decisions are made at the margin. Marginal benefit and cost what decisions are based. Check out this show to expand your understanding of this economic theory as Professor Joe uses the Diamonds and Water analysis comparing marginal value of a diamond and bottle of water. Interesting stuff ... check it out.

Professor Joe then turns this theory to the COVID situation and fully opening the economy vs. phased opening. He discusses the marginal cost and benefit of the lock-down continuing. He even applies the analysis to Mask mandates. Decisions are not all or nothing, they are made based on marginal costs/benefits.