As COVID-19 continues to spread, the world is facing two existential threats at once: a public health emergency and an economic crisis. Political theorist Danielle Allen describes how we can ethically and democratically address both problems by scaling up "smart testing," which would track positive cases with peer-to-peer software on people's cell phones -- so we can end the pandemic and get back to work. (This virtual conversation is part of the TED Connects series, hosted by head of TED Chris Anderson and business curator Corey Hajim. Recorded April 6, 2020)

Danielle Allen: An ethical plan for ending the pandemic and restarting the economy

An ethical plan for ending the pandemic and restarting the economy

Scaling up 'smart testing' could end the pandemic and reboot the economy, using peer-to-peer software for tracking cases.

A proposed $500 billion plan could catalyze pandemic resilience, focusing first on healthcare workers then gradually including all.

Fostering global solidarity and leveraging our federalist system are crucial in deploying an effective pandemic response.