Chip Bok's Bokbluster

It’s a dismal science for the governors of Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina as they re-open their states for business. And public health officials aren’t excited about the prospect. Here’s Dr. Fauci:

“We are scientists, physicians, public health officials. We’re not economists,” he said on CNN’s “New Day.” “We’re sensitive to the idea that the economy could suffer, but it was patently obvious looking at the data, that at the end of the day if we try to push back prematurely, not only would we lose lives, but it probably would even hurt the economy.”

Kevin Liptack, CNN

Dismal Science

So, how much is a life worth? Economists have a plan for that:

Economists use the Value of Statistical Life. It measures the value placed on changes that increase likelihood of death, not the value on a human life to avoid death. “It’s used in court cases when assigning damages,” Camerer said. I could make a highway a little safer at a very high cost. This is one reason economics is called the dismal science.

Quentin Fottrell, MarketWatch