Contribution
Covid-19 – Six Lessons for International Trade
- Trade is more volatile than the general economy. Expect therefore a sharper fall in international trade than GDP.
- The Covid-19 slump is a combined supply and demand shock. Expect disruptions for global supply chains and pressure from squeezed trade credit.
- The big danger of a prolonged slump is the disintegration of trading networks. The longer the Covid-19 disruption lasts, the more likely trading relationships between firms will break down, preventing a swift recovery.
- Rethinking extreme events and resilience: static vs. dynamic efficiency. Cost minimization in good times might not be a sustainable model for long-term economic success.
- Will Covid-19 make firms scale back international value chains? Not necessarily. A more resilient network could mean more international diversification.
- Will protectionism lead to less international trade? It depends on how successfully elected leaders face up to the challenges of the crisis.
Key Words
- COVID19
- Diversification
- dynamic efficiency
- globale Lieferketten
- international trade
- Protectionism
- resilience
- Resilienz