COVID-19 is forcing us to see our homes, neighborhoods and our built environment in a new light. We know that COVID hospitalization and death risks are highly correlated with where we live and the corresponding socioeconomic conditions. Our homes may normally be sanctuaries where we can relax, sleep or entertain, but now they have also become our primary places of work, study, play, exercise, creativity…
The timing of the “end of COVID” will be a determining factor in the strength of the recovery. In the UK, the OECD country whose vaccine rollout is so far the most advanced, the Prime Minister’s roadmap expresses the hope that if all goes to plan, June will see a “return to normal.” For reasons on which we expand in our recent book, COVID-19: The…
For reasons that we’ve expanded on in the past, the pandemic has given fresh impetus to the necessity of implementing broader and deeper wellbeing policies. This is particularly evident in the domain of air pollution as new evidence accrues, suggesting that the situation is worse than we thought. According to a new report, burning fossil fuels causes nearly one in five of all deaths worldwide—a…
The Definition of PROSPER • To grow strong and healthy, to flourish physically • To succeed or thrive; to render success • To make steady progress; to reach significance, fortune, and importance TIPS, HINTS, & INSPIRATION: Read March’s article by Renee Moorefield, member of the GWI Advisory Board and CEO of Wisdom Works Group, and learn how to use PROSPER as a springboard to inspire your…
With all the challenges of the last year, the mindset of the economic profession has shifted, with a flurry of research papers pointing to the vital importance of social capital. Notions like trust, state capacity, community-building, social cohesion, and social values like empathy and altruism are now seen as a prerequisite for prosperity and welfare. All these social values and other notions pertaining to social…
The dominant narrative about China’s growth (“the only major economy currently growing”) is misleading. China’s GDP rose by 6.5% in Q4 2020 only because the authorities decided it would. In their bid to reach this target, China’s government has moved in areas that previously, for the purpose of rebalancing growth, they were keen to abandon: industrial production, real estate and net exports. Meanwhile, consumption—which the…
