Economy and Society Changes in the Post-Covid Era

Editorial of the International Journal of Economic Behavior, Vol. 11

Abstract

As Western countries are approaching post-Covid normality, the common sentiment is that the pandemic has been an epochal watershed for the international economic and geopolitical landscape. It is not difficult to predict that the world will be significantly different to what it was before 2020. However, even before the pandemic, some to long-term trends − such as the digital and ecological transition − were already clearly visible. At the same time, a redistribution of global economic power had already been underway for some years, with China (and the Asian countries linked to it) as a primary actor of an apparently unstoppable growth capable of questioning the leadership of the United States. In this context, Europe is losing ground due to a stagnant economy and a critical political-institutional inertia. The pandemic has accelerated these trends, but also spurred stronger policy responses from governments. Looking at the next years, four main trends deserve to be highlighted.