Not from a political point of view
In short, COVID-19 may well not alter – much less reverse – tendencies evident before the crisis. Neoliberalism will continue its slow death. Populist autocrats will become even more authoritarian. Hyper-globalization will remain on the defensive as nation-states reclaim policy space. China and the US will continue on their collision course. And the battle within nation-states among oligarchs, authoritarian populists, and liberal internationalists will intensify, while the left struggles to devise a program that appeals to a majority of voters.
Will COVID-19 Remake the World?
By: Dani Rodrik – Harvard University
Yes from an economic point of view
If you were worried about AI taking away all the low skilled jobs, your worries are over. This will in the end be a boon to low skill employment. But just in different places than now. There are lots of opportunities in the virus-protected economy too. Sit down (close to other customers) restaurants will decline. Topnotch takeout will rise. […] The overall cost of doing things will rise however. This is a negative permanent technology shock.
Whack-a-mole: the long run virus
By: John Cochrane – Stanford University
The opportunity for a green recovery
Governments are rightly compiling state aid packages to promote a swift recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic is ended. Our four recommendations to foster a green recovery are:
- Apply green conditions to state aid for companies in sectors with high carbon and/or material footprints;
- Apply similar green conditions to new and extended bank loans (with or without public guarantees) to these sectors;
- Refuse state aid for companies and sectors that are not able or willing to adopt low-carbon and circular technologies, and retrain their workers for new employment;
- Speed up planning procedures for renewable energy, public transit and circular building projects and infrastructures.
A green recovery
By: Dirk Schoenmaker – Erasmus University Rotterdam
