The Big View The Exchange: Adam Tooze on the pandemic
Sep 7, 2021
Adam Tooze, a Columbia University history professor and author known for works like "Shutdown" and "Crashed," dives deep into the seismic events of 2020. He discusses the importance of narrative framing in the pandemic response, the complexities of vaccine distribution, and the intertwined crises facing the globe. Tooze highlights how central banks managed financial turbulence and critiques the divergent approaches to handling COVID-19, particularly in the U.S. and China, revealing profound implications for future global challenges.
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2020's Poly Crisis Unfolded
- 2020 revealed a "poly crisis" with intersecting geopolitical, economic, and environmental issues.
- The pandemic exposed political failure but technological and fiscal responses showed strong crisis management.
Innovation Amid Political Failure
- The pandemic uncovered political failure but also showcased rapid scientific and fiscal innovation.
- Crisis responses were top-down, raising concerns about reliance on technocratic fixes over democratic processes.
Pandemic Spending Preserved Status Quo
- Pandemic spending aimed to preserve the status quo rather than effect fundamental change.
- Losing budget constraints exposes politics to stark choices on what society truly wants to do.
