America’s Economic Policy Makers Should ‘Use’ the Corona Crisis to their Advantage

The coronavirus pandemic has been tough on everything and the economy has been no exception. Economist and public policy analyst Joseph Stiglitz said that “we shouldn’t let a crisis go to waste.” Stiglitz – who once held the position of World Bank Chief Economist and Senior VP – said that the pandemic has shown us how the economic system is not working.  He spoke in particular about the market economy’s lack of resilience, the climate crisis and inequality.

While that seems like deep cause for concern, Stiglitz explained that given that these issues are related, they can be tackled simultaneously, suggesting that if America invests in green infrastructure, jobs will be created which will reduce inequality. If taxes are increased slightly those extra funds could be put toward what is necessary for “the common good.”

Indeed, Siglitz is not alone in these sentiments. A paper written by Nicolas Verbeek in Inquiries Journal argued that it truly can be viewed as “a unique opportunity for the existing global economic institutions – G20, WTO, IMF and World Bank – to make the necessary improvements that are needed to effectively address the global challenges of our time.”