“Normal” in the after-time

We’ve all been in isolation for a while now and are anxious to get out and return to normal.  But will that normal be the same normal as the before-time?  We are experiencing the biggest medical emergency since 1918.  Is this reality going to affect our behaviour in the short term?  Probably?  Will our behaviour change over a longer period of time?  That remains to be seen.  I would argue that the Great Depression had a lasting impact on the working and spending habits of the generation that lived through it.  I think it can also be argued that the prosperity of the post war years had a similar impact on the baby boom generation.  Is COVID-19 a big enough event to have the same sort of influence?  We will find out in the coming months.  How do you think you will act?

While we wait, here are 3 videos that explore what the after-time may look like from an economic point of view.

Enjoy & stay safe.

Reopening the economy: What will the new normal look like?

Life in a post-COVID-19 world with Ian Bremmer

Indoors and online: How the COVID-19 lockdown is changing retail