Did pandemic business support work?

02/06/24 • 9 min

4 Listeners

The U.S. launched the Paycheck Protection Program in April 2020 to save jobs and businesses from the worst effects of the pandemic. Today on the show, a post-mortem on the controversial program and whether it fulfilled its objective. Also, we hear from one company that voluntarily paid back its PPP loan — with interest — even though it could have qualified for forgiveness.
Related episodes:
Could cash payments ease recessions? (Apple / Spotify)
Small banks' corona crunch
The big small business rescue
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Previous Episode

Could cash payments ease recessions?

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Although we have dodged the bullet for now, the threat of a recession is always a concern for policy makers. The question is: will we be prepared next time? In this episode, we consider an alternative approach to stabilizing the economy during a recession through automatic monthly cash payments. The hope: faster relief, a reduced racial wealth gap and predictable income. Can it work?
Related episodes:
The Sahm Rule with the eponymous economist
Hear us out: We ban left turns and other big ideas (Apple / Spotify)
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Next Episode

Is Wall Street's hottest trend finally over?

WeWork, DraftKings, Lucid Motors. These are a few companies that have taken an untraditional route to go public through something called SPACs or special purpose acquisition companies. The obscure investment vehicle took off during the pandemic, but has since fallen back to earth. Today, we consider the rise and fall of SPACs and how recent rule changes will affect these deals.
Related episodes:
The SPAC is back
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
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NPR Privacy Policy