Public Announcement COVID-19 Research
The Jorge Perez FIU Metropolitan Center has embarked on a comprehensive applied research initiative on the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on South Florida. The research entitled, “The COVID-19 Infectious Disease Event: Impacts on South Florida’s Leading Industries and Social Environment” is focused on three interrelated elements: 1) An “Economic Impact Analysis” of South Florida’s most vulnerable, leading industry and employment sectors, i.e. leisure & hospitality, air & sea transportation, retail trade, 2) A “Social Environment Impact Analysis” focusing on community-wide effects, i.e. housing, public transit, neighborhood networks, workplace culture, and 3) “Industry and Human Capital Development Strategies” for the post-COVID 19-era, i.e. external social environment indicators, technology interventions, anticipated changes in business ecosystems.
Our preliminary research has found there’s no widely accepted, consistent methodology for estimating the economic impacts of an infectious disease event the magnitude of COVID-19, and even less known about the short- and long-term impacts on local and regional economies and social environments. This is partly due to variations in economic, political and cultural geographies. This knowledge gap could hinder the development of economic and social policy strategies and mitigation measures at the local level where the need is most apparent. These uncertainties and unknowns are exacerbated by the unprecedented reality that the COVID-19 infectious disease event is having much greater economic and social impacts due to an extended, near shut down of major industry sectors.
We will be continuously releasing infographics to discuss the impact of COVID-19 on the South Florida economy. Please visit our infographics here.
For more information on the Jorge Perez FIU Metropolitan Center’s COVID-19 research initiative please contact, Dr. Ned Murray, AICP, Associate Director at murrayn@fiu.edu.
