What Is a Life Worth?

COVID-19 and the Economic Value of Protecting Health

FOREIGN AFFAIRS/ W. Kip Viscusi
June 17, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised fundamental questions about how to balance the protection of public health and the protection of the economy. How should authorities weigh the risk of illness and death against the risk of economic damage caused by social distancing and other restrictions that slow the spread of disease?

This question is never easy to answer. Earlier this year, however, when the novel coronavirus was spreading exponentially in major cities, it was not difficult to justify the imposition of lockdown conditions: erring on the side of protecting life and well-being seemed like the only prudent course. But as the contagion’s grip has begun to ease in some places, including the United States, the sense of crisis has abated, and many jurisdictions are reopening, at varying speeds and to varying degrees.

ARTICULO COMPLETO: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2020-06-17/what-life-worth