Dear MI Friends and Supporters,

I hope that you are safe and well. During these challenging days surrounding the spread of the new coronavirus in New York and around the country, MI scholars and City Journal writers have produced a constant stream of commentary and analysis about the public-policy decisions being made—and their near- and long-term impact on our families and communities. I am proud of the work they’ve produced, even as they and our staff have moved to working from home until at least April 6. We will keep up our efforts to shape policy, of course, and we deeply appreciate your support and engagement with MI as we adapt to the present reality.

I hope that you’ve seen our latest work in City Journal and a range of other outlets, including the New York Post and Los Angeles Times. As always, we are focused on informed reporting and analysis grounded in rationality:

• Joel Zinberg, an M.D. and economist who recently served on the White House Council of Economic Advisers, has written several pieces and recorded a podcast assessing the health risks of COVID-19 and warning about America’s vulnerable pharmaceutical supply chain, now largely controlled by China;
• Seth Barron offers a stark warning about New York’s hospital capacity and the challenges that the system faces;
• George M. Yeager Fellow Steven Malanga warns about the human impacts of large-scale economic shutdowns;
• Nicole Gelinas reminds policymakers how human proximity is an economic driver in New York and other cities;
• Milton Ezrati evaluates COVID-19’s impact on the global economy;
• MI’s newest senior fellow, economist Allison Schrager, analyzes the impact on bond markets;
• Howard Husock explains the power of private philanthropy in responding to the coronavirus pandemic;
• Roger Klein considers the role that burdensome regulations played in the U.S. testing fiasco;
• Peter Kolchinsky, virologist and biotech investor, writes about how to price vaccines;
• John Tierney argues that green policies banning plastic bags are horribly timed—since cloth-based bags are much more likely to transmit infection; and
• Stephen Eide reports on the predicament of the homeless.

In the weeks and months ahead, please know that the Institute's scholars will continue their work, with your support. You can follow our continued coverage of the coronavirus here.

MI’s community—of which you are an important part—has long relied on in-person meetings and events to share ideas and build camaraderie. Though our events are temporarily suspended (including the annual Alexander Hamilton Award dinner, which will take place on October 20th), we hope that you will follow our work in new ways during this period:

• The Adam Smith Society, the Institute's membership program for business students and professionals, will soon launch new virtual programming. Members across its 43-chapter network will hear from, engage with, and pose questions to experts, including MI’s own Allison Schrager and Mark Mills;
• City Journal’s 10 Blocks podcast continues its weekly schedule, with a new podcast airing this week recorded remotely (featuring Nicole Gelinas and Seth Barron on the consequences of an economic slowdown for the city and state budget, the MTA, and New York residents); and
• Rafael Mangual and NYC Police Commissioner Dermot F. Shea plan to record a conversation on bail reform and how it, alongside virus response efforts, will play into the New York State legislature’s ongoing negotiations this spring.

There is much more to come from MI. Without you, our work—and its impact on policy—would not be possible.

Thank you for your support at this time and always.

Sincerely,

Reihan Salam
President
Manhattan Institute

Top photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images