Teaching in Corona times: useful examples for an undergrad micro-economics course?

Question

I teach an undergrad micro-economics course. I usually update my course to include examples that reflect recent events that students can relate to. This year, I would like to include a small number of examples relating to the Corona virus. I am thinking of a simple game modelling hoarding in supermarkets, or the externalities in deciding how much social contact to have. I know that Olivier Blanchard published a chapter to complement his macro-economics handbook. Is anyone aware of similar micro-economic applications that I could use?

Answer 1

There is research that helps explain the delay in returning to work in light of early findings that the elimination of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) did not lead to a faster return as some economists expected. With the COVID emergency in the rearview, it might be something that can be applied in both macro and micro classes. Activities reflecting on this have been pretty engaging in the classroom... especially when students are prompted beforehand to explain why the reduction in benefits did not have the expected effects.

Holzer, H. J., Hubbard, R. G., & Strain, M. R. (2021). Did pandemic unemployment benefits reduce employment? Evidence from early state-level expirations in June 2021 (NBER Working Paper No. 29575). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://doi.org/10.3386/w29575