Matrix On Point

The Economic Consequences of COVID-19

A panel of scholars weighed in on the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented shutdown of the global economy. Governments (mostly in advanced economies) responded with an array of programs, from increased unemployment benefits, stimulus payments, small business assistance loans, and broad monetary support. In spite of these unprecedented interventions, all financed by a rapid expansion of public debt, the economic outlook continues to be very uncertain nearly nine months into the pandemic. What are the likely near- and long-term consequences of the pandemic for the global economy? Which populations have been most affected?  Which industries are likely to recover, and which will not? How should we evaluate the success of economic measures taken by governments in the U.S. and around the world?

Co-sponsored by the Clausen Center for International Business and Policy, and presented as part of the Berkeley Haas “New Thinking in a Pandemic” series, this “Matrix on Point” panel discussion — recorded on December 3, 2020 — brought together a panel of scholars to discuss the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. The panelists were Mitu Gulati, Professor of Law at Duke University; Hilary Hoynes, Professor of Economics and Public Policy and the Haas Distinguished Chair in Economic Disparities at UC Berkeley; Ṣebnem Kalemli-Özcan, the Neil Moskowitz Professor of Economics and Finance at the University of Maryland; and Maurice Obstfeld, the Class of 1958 Professor of Economics at Berkeley and a nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. The panel was moderated by Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, Professor of Economics in the UC Berkeley Department of Economics; and S.K. and Angela Chan Professor of Global Management in the Haas School of Business.

Watch the panel above or on YouTube.

 

You May Like

Matrix On Point

Recap

Published December 5, 2020

The New Authoritarians

Recorded on November 30, 2020, this Matrix On Point panel considered not only the illiberal tactics these right-wing autocrats have used to consolidate power and further their objectives, but also what it will take to undo the damage they have inflicted upon democratic institutions.

Learn More >

Affiliated Centers

Recap

Published November 30, 2020

2020 Election Post-Mortem: Why It Happened and the Implications for American Democracy.

Recorded on November 12, 2020, this video features a "post-mortem" analysis of the 2020 election — and what the implications are for the future.

Learn More >

Authors Meet Critics

Recap

Published November 13, 2020

The Future of Nuclear Waste

Recorded on Nov. 5, 2020, this online "Authors Meet Critics" panel featured Rosemary Joyce, Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, discussing her book, The Future of Nuclear Waste: What Art and Archaeology Can Tell Us about Securing the World's Most Hazardous Material. 

Learn More >