Drake Bennett at the Boston Globe wrote an overview published yesterday about recent research on the beneficial impacts of recessions for population health.
Although individuals who actually lose their jobs in a recession are probably unambiguously hurt, everyone else probably works less hard. They may also behave healthier, perhaps by smoking and drinking less. Chris Ruhm at UNC Greensboro has spearheaded recent work in this area.
How else might recessions be good? Do folks spend more time with their families?
