Bonus Episode: “A Medically Induced Economic Coma”

Is the coronavirus a zero-sum game in which we must choose between saving lives and saving the economy? In this episode, we sit down with two experts to find out.

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Host
  • Gabrielle Sierra
    Director, Podcasting
Credits

Asher Ross - Supervising Producer

Markus Zakaria - Audio Producer and Sound Designer

Rafaela Siewert - Associate Podcast Producer

Jeremy Sherlick - Senior Producer

Show Notes

The Coronavirus pandemic changed our lives in a heartbeat. It has made us fear for our health, our loved ones, and our livelihoods. As the death toll rises, the return to normalcy seems to recede further and further away. Businesses have been asked to close for the foreseeable future, and millions are out of work. In this episode, we ask two experts to explain how fighting the virus can intersect with trying to save the U.S. economy.

 

From CFR 

 

Coronavirus: How Are Countries Responding to the Economic Crisis?” Jonathan Masters

 

After the Pandemic: Can the United States Finally Retool for the Twenty-First Century?”  Edward Alden

 

Read More

 

The U.S. Shut Down Its Economy. Here’s What Needs to Happen in Order to Restart.New York Times 

 

Top economists are deriding the ‘false choice’ between saving lives from coronavirus and maximizing economic growth. Here’s why the situation isn’t so cut-and-dry.Business Insider 

 

Congress Is Knitting a Coronavirus Safety Net. It Already Has Big Holes.New York Times 

 

Watch or Listen

 

The Coronavirus Explained & What You Should DoKurzgesagt

 

Covid-19: how bad will it be for the economy?Economist

Trade

Global trade tensions are boiling over and questions about the United States’ economic future are at the center of the debate. As trade experts question what comes next, it’s important to analyze how the United States got to this point. How have the current administration’s trade policies of today reshaped the global order of tomorrow?

U.S. Trade Deficit

The United States has had a trade deficit, meaning we import more than we export, for the past fifty years. But recently the trade deficit has become a front-burner issue for President Donald Trump and a core reason for his administration’s sweeping tariff policy. When do trade deficits become a problem? Is the United States already at the tipping point?

Trade

With allies and adversaries alike impacted by new economic barriers and tariffs, the global map of U.S. trade relationships hangs in question. As the U.S. rethinks its commitments with its trading partners, allies may seek deals elsewhere, even with historic rivals. Can the president single-handedly tear up a trade deal, and what happens when deals that took decades to craft are suddenly up for renegotiation?

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Ukraine

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