Finance and Economics Discussion Series (FEDS)
December 2020 (Revised June 2021)
Across the Universe: Policy Support for Employment and Revenue in the Pandemic Recession
Ryan A. Decker, Robert J. Kurtzman, Byron F. Lutz, and Christopher J. Nekarda
Abstract:
Using data from 14 government sources, we develop comprehensive estimates of U.S. economic activity by sector, legal form of organization, and firm size to characterize how four government direct lending programs—the Paycheck Protection Program, the Main Street Lending Program, the Corporate Credit Facilities, and the Municipal Lending Facilities—related to these classes of economic activity in the United States. The classes targeted by these programs are vast—accounting for 97 percent of total U.S. employment—though entity-specific financial criteria limited coverage within specific programs. We relate our estimates to those from timely alternative data sources, which do not typically cover the majority of the economic universe.
Accessible materials (.zip)
Original paper: PDF | Accessible materials (.zip)
Keywords: employment, activity estimates, direct lending programs, Paycheck Protection Program, PPP, Main Street, Corporate Credit Facilities, alternative data
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17016/FEDS.2020.099r1
PDF: Full Paper
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