Six prominent thinkers reflect on how the pandemic has changed the world

 In March 2020, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, an influential figure in British intellectual life, described the COVID-19 catastrophe as "the nearest we have to a revelation for atheists."We "have been coasting along for more than half a century," he remarked, and all at once ", we are facing the fragility and vulnerability of the human situation." at the time, I thought the comparison was apt. It captured the biblical sense of shock that many of us felt in the face of such a sudden, extreme, and swiftly accelerating crisis. A few months later, Rabbi Sacks' comparison with revelation still seems fitting, but for a different reason, and one that matters for thinking about the world after COVID-19. A global medical emergency caused by a virus we still do not fully understand. A self-inflicted economic catastrophe as a necessary policy response to contain its spread. This crisis is alarming, partly because it has several new and unfamiliar features. And yet, as time has passed, it has also become clear that much of what is most distressing about this crisis is not new. Striking variations in COVID-19 infections and outcomes appear to reflect existing economic inequalities. Significant mismatches between the social value of what "key workers" do and the low wages they receive follow the market's familiar failure to value what matters adequately. The happy embrace of disinformation and misinformation about the virus was to be expected, given a decade of rising populism. techiesin

 and declining faith in experts. And the absence of a properly coordinated international response ought to have come as no surprise, given the celebration of "my country first" global politics in recent years. The crisis is a far more literal revelation—it focuses our collective attention on the many injustices and weaknesses that already exist in how we live together. If people were blind to these faults before, it is hard not to see them now. What will the world look like after COVID-19? Many of the problems we will face in the next decade will be more extreme versions of those we already confront today. The world will only look significantly different this time if, as we emerge from this crisis, we decide to take action to resolve these problems and bring about fundamental change. James ManyikaThe world after COVID-19 is unlikely to return to the world that it was. Many trends already underway in the global economy are being accelerated by the impact of the pandemic. This is especially true of the digital economy, with the rise of digital behaviour, such as remote working and learning, telemedicine, and delivery services. Other structural changes may also accelerate, including the regionalization of supply chains and a further explosion of cross-border data flows. The future of work has arrived faster, along with its challenges—many of them potentially multiplied—such as income polarization, worker vulnerability, more gig work, and the need for workers to adapt to occupational transitions. This acceleration is the result not only of technological advances but also of new considerations for health and safety, and economies and labour markets will take time to recover and will likely emerge changed. With the amplification of these trends, the realities of this crisis have triggered a reconsideration of several beliefs, with possible effects on long-term economic and societal choices. These effects range from attitudes about efficiency versus resilience, the future of capitalism, densification of economic activity and living, industrial policy, and our approach to problems that affect us all and call for global and collective action—such as pandemics and climate change—to the role of government and institutions. Over the past two decades, in advanced economies, responsibility has generally shifted from institutions to individuals. There is potential for a long-term shift in how institutions support people through safety nets and a more inclusive social contract. Yet health systems are being tested and often found wanting, while benefits from paid sick leave to universal basic income are getting a second look. marketingmediaweb