Highly uneven impacts and responses to #Corona reveal important political economy differences across the world.
The US & UK responses particularly expose the weaknesses of these economies as well as the governments' incapacity - and will - to tackle systemic societal issues.
1/n
The US & UK responses particularly expose the weaknesses of these economies as well as the governments' incapacity - and will - to tackle systemic societal issues.
1/n
There's been a lot of great reporting on the virus (along w/lots of crap), but this one here by Thomas Pueyo is still one of my fave. It shows very clearly why it's so important to put restrictions in place *early* to limit impact on the population. 2/n
medium.com/@tomaspueyo/co…
medium.com/@tomaspueyo/co…
The impact depends heavily on the government's ability (and will) to respond promptly, on the health system of course, as well as on how society is organized more generally. With decades of austerity in many countries, a lot of health systems and societies will struggle. 3/n
This includes countries like the UK, by the way, which has almost half the number of critical care beds per person than Italy. The UK's NHS has been infamously underfunded for a decade; in the US, Trump fired the US pandemic response team in 2018. 4/n
Yet, as @danielmunevar shows in this nice article (and thread), low-income countries are of course especially vulnerable because of weak health systems (which is one of the reasons I cancelled my trip to Ghana). 5/n
However, as @crystalsimeoni pointed out, countries like Nigeria are in some ways better prepared because of their Ebola experience. Pueyo also links the strong responses by Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand & Hong Kong's to their experience with SARS. 6/n
Being Norwegian living in the UK, watching the discrepancy between responses has been wild. Over there, gyms, unis, schools, beauty services, sports & cultural events have all shut down, and almost everyone I know works from home. Anyone coming from abroad must self-isolate. 7/n
Meanwhile, in the UK, we repeatedly hear the neoliberal mantra "wash your hands," and almost everything is business as usual. Big public gatherings go on, schools remain open. (Since this chart was constructed👇, at least the Premier League was shut). 8/n
In US & UK a relatively larger part of the public debate has been about the economic impact of restrictions. This might relate to the stronger influence the private sector has on gov policy, leading to responses more concerned with stock markets than securing testing kits. 9/n
I'm interested in political economy analyses of the US & UK responses, which are baffling. What's certain is, as @sanjaygreddy put it, the responses are mediated by institutional, political, social and economic factors at every stage. 10/n
In addition to blaming their lack of response on concerns with the economy, another important scapegoat has been impact on vulnerable populations (NOW they care). This shows a lack of capacity - or will - to think about the problem in a systemic and holistic way. 11/n
Rather than using the vulnerable populations as an excuse to carry on as normal, authorities could instead take the particular needs of these groups into account in any response. E.g. provide day care, sick days, shelter.
As @JWMason1 put it 👇12/n
As @JWMason1 put it 👇12/n
This "dilemma" also exposes the weaknesses of these economies (high degree of homelessness, precarious work force, poverty), which impacts the government's ability to respond effectively. For once they are forced to consider public health as a broader societal issue. 13/n
As @HBoushey writes, paid sick days can reduce transmission of the flu by 40%.
In the US *millions* of workers lack access to paid sick days. Low-income workers likely to be hardest hit.
Congress *can* offer emergency extended leave if it wants to. 14/n
latimes.com/opinion/story/…
In the US *millions* of workers lack access to paid sick days. Low-income workers likely to be hardest hit.
Congress *can* offer emergency extended leave if it wants to. 14/n
latimes.com/opinion/story/…
While the #coronavirus does raise awareness of public health issues, the importance of strong horizonal health systems for disaster response, and of the interlinks between economic security and health, how and whether we as a society will learn from this remains to be seen. 15/n 
After all, we didn't learn as much as we should have from the 2008 financial crisis, and US & UK don't seem to be learning much from other countries. There are even lessons from the 1918 flu we could have learned, if we tried (👇). 16/n
theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…
theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…
There are many differences between the US and UK ofc. In the US they went from "it's a hoax" to blocking Europeans from entering. In the UK they have come up with an absurd justification not based on evidence (#herdimmunity) for the gov to delay. 17/n
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
Rather than following WHO advice, Boris Johnson draws on behavioralism & the #nudgeunit to justify a slow and weak response. We are getting to the point where behavioral economics and other behavioral sciences will literally kill us. 18/n theguardian.com/world/2020/mar…
How do we take things into our own hands when the gov won't act?
1. Support the @ucu efforts to demand our unis take the outbreak seriously👇
docs.google.com/document/d/1qq…
2. DO WASH YOUR HANDS PEOPLE! 😂🤦♀️ (still shocked by low proportion of British people who actually do this)
19/n
1. Support the @ucu efforts to demand our unis take the outbreak seriously👇
docs.google.com/document/d/1qq…
2. DO WASH YOUR HANDS PEOPLE! 😂🤦♀️ (still shocked by low proportion of British people who actually do this)
19/n
I'll be collecting political economy analyses of the interrelated crises related to the pandemic here (& plz add!).
On inequality & exclusion in the US, see Mike Davis on the consequences of lack of solidarity and the "walls not vaccines" approach.
20/n thenation.com/article/politi…
On inequality & exclusion in the US, see Mike Davis on the consequences of lack of solidarity and the "walls not vaccines" approach.
20/n thenation.com/article/politi…
And on the unequal effects the pandemic will have in the UK, @OwenJones84 reports in the @guardian: "We're about to learn a terrible lesson from coronavirus: inequality kills".
21/n
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
21/n
theguardian.com/commentisfree/…
Very interesting thread by @olgaloblova on why the UK gov may be acting like it is. Interestingly, she wrote her PhD on why experts sometimes fail to turn their well-founded advice into policy.
Her take on why UK gov favors behavioralist advice over WHO👇
Her take on why UK gov favors behavioralist advice over WHO👇
An important thread on why caste, class and mental health matter while addressing the corona outbreak in India. Thanks @rakhalgaitonde. 23/n
"The new coronavirus makes vivid the logic of a world that combines a material reality of intense interdependence with moral and political systems that leave people to look out for themselves."
Excellent piece by @JedediahSPurdy in @jacobinmag. 24/n
jacobinmag.com/2020/03/corona…
Excellent piece by @JedediahSPurdy in @jacobinmag. 24/n
jacobinmag.com/2020/03/corona…
"At every step, a rapaciously profit-driven health care system & an austerity-ravaged state will make this virus harder to manage." @akapczynski & @gregggonsalves on how this doesn't just require universal healthcare but also real resource allocation. 25/n bit.ly/2QeyW12
The UK academic community critique the failure of the UK Government to protect the population from #COVID19. 229 scientists argue the government's current approach will put the NHS under additional stress and "risk many more lives than necessary". 26/n bbc.co.uk/news/science-e…
South Korea vs Italy. Choices between rights to privacy and human sufferings at a large scale. Interesting in @AlJazeera, arguing that South Korea's trace-test-treat is a very effective model, but possibly not culturally acceptable for Europeans. 27/n aljazeera.com/amp/news/2020/…
How does trade fit in to the Corona responses? New episode of @PIIE's #TradeTalks on new regulations and policies that are being implemented and their likely effects. tradetalkspodcast.com/podcast/125-co…
@SoumayaKeynes has also written on this in @TheEconomist: economist.com/finance-and-ec… 28/n
@SoumayaKeynes has also written on this in @TheEconomist: economist.com/finance-and-ec… 28/n
Another important aspect of a country's capacity to respond relates to its production structure. @L__Macfarlane explores the limits of UK's request to "transform production lines to make ventilators" when it has a relatively weak manufacturing base. 29/n
Schools are starting to close & states are doing what they can to still provide meals to kids from low-income fams.
Thread on Indian states:
Overview of how US states are able to use existing laws & challenges they face 👇 cnn.com/2020/03/11/hea…
30/n
Thread on Indian states:
Overview of how US states are able to use existing laws & challenges they face 👇 cnn.com/2020/03/11/hea…
30/n
Lack of solidarity & global coordination is horrifying:
Two examples:
1) Trump offers German medical company large sums of money for exclusive access to a Covid-19 vaccine theguardian.com/us-news/2020/m…
2) The EU Abandons Italy in Its Hour of Need foreignpolicy.com/2020/03/14/cor…
31/n
Two examples:
1) Trump offers German medical company large sums of money for exclusive access to a Covid-19 vaccine theguardian.com/us-news/2020/m…
2) The EU Abandons Italy in Its Hour of Need foreignpolicy.com/2020/03/14/cor…
31/n
