The Pandemic ParadoxWhy most Americans' finances improved during the worst economic contraction since the Great Depressionand the policy choices that made this possible In March 2020, economic and social life across the United States came to an abrupt halt as the country tried to slow the spread of COVID 19. In the worst economic contraction since the Great Depression, twenty two million people lost their jobs between mid March and mid April of 2020. And yet somehow the