Adding her expertise and new research to the ongoing discussion about how we live today, Daniels School of Business Assistant Professor of Economics Lindsay Relihan appeared on “Densely Speaking,” a podcast that offers conversations on cities, economics and law.
Hosted by Jeff Lin, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, and Greg Shill, a University of Iowa law professor, “Densely Speaking” has addressed topics like the past and future of driving in high-tech cities, the evolution of black neighborhoods, and fatal pedestrian crash locations and characteristics. The podcast is a collaborative network of scholars from institutions like Columbia University and George Mason University, and features guests from the U.S. Census Bureau Center for Economic Studies and other organizations.
In the newest “Densely Speaking” episode, Relihan speaks about the impact of the work-from-home transition on brick-and-mortar retail, analyzing the state of retail in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her working paper “The Impact of Work-from-Home on Brick-and-Mortar Retail Establishments: Evidence from Card Transactions,” is coauthored with James Duguid, Bryan Kim, and Chris Wheat of the JPMorgan Chase Institute. Their research was made possible by a data-use agreement between Relihan and the Institute.
“When we talk about work-from-home, most of the conversation is about the impact on commercial offices and the residential market,” Relihan says. “But because retail is closely tied to how we live and work, work-from-home is leading to fundamental changes in the location and composition of brick-and-mortar stores. Understanding those dynamics can help craft better public policy responses to support thriving and resilient cities going forward.”
Relihan’s research areas include urban economics, real estate, and household finance. She teaches Real Estate Fundamentals at the Daniels School and is an affiliate of the Dean V. White Real Estate Finance Program and the Purdue University Research Center in Economics.
