Pre-Election Report Identifies 7 Major Forces Reshaping the U.S. Economy Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

As the coronavirus continues to hurt the economy, a new report by the Kenan Institute shows what forces are changing the U.S. economy.

The report, Seven Factors Reshaping the Economy, explores the economic challenges and opportunities facing the nation amid the coronavirus pandemic and what many consider to be the most important presidential election in U.S. history.

With a clear understanding that there will be no return to “business as usual,” the report offers new findings and pragmatic solutions for decision-makers navigating factors such as changes in travel and migration patterns, accelerating shifts toward on-demand and at-home retail services, on-shoring and widening of supply chains, and a renewed focus on diversity and dismantling systemic racism.

Other issues include the upending of education and childcare and changes to healthcare and pharmaceutical demand.

Coinciding with the release of the the report, a press briefing via webinar will be held Tuesday, September 22, at 11 a.m. Eastern.

The webinar will include DeLisa Alexander, the executive vice president and chief people officer of Red Hat; executive director for the Kenan Institute, Professor Greg Brown; David Carroll, founder of Carroll Family Holdings; Professor Jim Johnson, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School; and James Rosen, CEO, Artizan Biosciences.

Each speaker will discuss the report, the trends identified in the report, and how to tailor businesses to follow these trends and thrive in these uncertain times.

The report will be a living document, meaning each trend will be updated weekly and will be available on the Kenan Institute website.

Six months after the coronavirus hit the United States, businesses are still struggling even as some states have decreased their case numbers. New York, which has a coronavirus rate of less than 1% is still dealing with a $9 billion budget deficit, an education system scrambling to start the school year, and continued calls to defund the police, among other struggles.