What will the 'new economy' look like? A Post-COVID analysis

How communities need to mobilize together and redefine the word “value”

The world is changing. We are unclear of what exactly this means. Some are feeling optimistic, some are confident this is the end.

China announced its first GDP contraction since as far back as 1992. While the United States, run by Donald Trump, has started reopening business. Pushing forward despite the fact that the US has the highest number of reported cases in the world, 1.7M and 99,498 reported deaths. A clear case of capitalism before the community.

As China scrambles to get back up, and governments hand out cash hand over fist to struggling citizens, it’s difficult to imagine how we could ever come out on the other side of this resuming back to the status quo.

Quite Frankly, The Status Quo Is No Longer Cutting It.

If we learn only one thing from this Pandemic, it’s that we require a worldwide change in how we function as societies, in how we do business, and how we embrace community.

The definition of “value” is shifting, and as the market becomes increasingly unpredictable, it’s imperative that we define “value” differently, in a way that strives for equality and ecological peace.

A new economy that considers striking the balance between all humans, technology, and the land may just be the key to a prosperous future for the next generations to come. The opportunity for a new economy is one that may just be borne out of pure necessity, something that many developing countries have known for years.

We need to ask ourselves :

“How might we design a world that redesigns economic theories and puts environmental conservatism at the forefront of political agendas?”

We have reached the earth’s carrying capacity, which means population growth can no longer be the solution to growing GDP. We are rapidly sucking federal reserves dry, only keeping the money printing machines in full-swing, as well as growing the debt load for countries as they continue to borrow from China. We are seeing public and private sector transition into digital work environments faster than one could have ever imagined pre-COVID. And, we’re hearing a new appreciation for creativity, a closer focus on our families, community engagement, localization, and adoption of the minimalist lifestyle.

Like so many others, I have spent many of my days in quarantine reading, picking up new hobbies, and looking for answers to questions as simple as

“What happens next?”