2020 Pandemic Misery Index: How the States Stack Up

Posted: 9/8/2020 1:57:31 PM
Which state has been more effective at dealing with Covid-19, New York or Texas? Who has done better at stemming the spread of the virus and keeping businesses afloat, California or Florida?   The answer to these questions depends on how we define and measure ‘effectiveness.’  As shelter-in-place orders...

The Summer Without Vacations and the Hospitality and Leisure Industry

Posted: 8/11/2020 1:34:35 PM
Between June 2009, the end of the Great Recession, and February 2020, the start of the COVID Recession, total nonfarm employment grew by over 16%. In the private sector, employment grew almost 20%.  The figure below depicts employment by industry indexed to the respective industries’ employment in June 2009. Employment in Transportati...

Hope Mounts as Covid-19 Counts Decrease in Texas – Updated August 4, 2020

Posted: 8/5/2020 12:33:11 PM
The continued economic growth and reopening of the economy in Texas, and in Brazos County, critically depend on getting a handle on the recent surge of Covid-19 cases. Fortunately, recent evidence over the past weeks shows very good news, with declining rates of new infections and decreasing counts of active cases in most of the major population...