Pablo Pardo (Washington) | In September, the slowdown has, unexpectedly, arrived in the US. The main culprit is the Delta variant of the coronavirus, which is once again claiming 1,500 lives daily and threatens to cause a ‘W’ revival. Until just a month ago, the biggest question regarding the US economy was whether its growth would beat China’s for two years in a row. The last time US GDP growth…
Pablo Pardo (Washington) | We don’t know yet what will happen but, for the moment, it is clear that the fact that China has apparently been able to contain the pandemic better than the US or much of the EU will considerably strengthen that country’s political appeal and capacity for influence. The loser, for the moment, is the West. The economic damage was inevitable. But the political damage, for example in the US, due to the lack of preparation and the scant attention paid to experts, could have been much less…
Pablo Pardo (Washington) | Now, Covid-19 could be a great opportunity for the United States and, also, for the world economy. With interest rates nearing zero, this could be a good opportunity to use fiscal policy to revive the economy… Also, at least in the United States, this could be an opportunity to undertake a reform of which absolutely nobody talks, but which makes this country have, by far, the most expensive, dysfunctional and inefficient social protection system in the industrialized world. Take health care, for example: