The Economist - Covid-19: how to fix the economy | The Economist

The Great Depression, WW2, and other shocks triggered governments in the Western world to make a bigger commitments to their citizens, eg, the New Deal in the US, the NHS in the UK, Social Security and Welfare etc. Since Thatcher, Reagan, and neoliberalism, this commitment became loosened, but could the Covid pandemic be another shock that will bring governments back in line to taking more responsibility for the well-being of all their citizens, not just the few?

Governments will have to deal with the economic fallout from the pandemic for decades to come. If they get their response wrong, countries risk economic stagnation and political division.