Pandemic Economics— How companies and individuals retain financial stability during a pandemic—lessons learned from COVID-19 and likely policy prescriptions

Following the 2007-2008 global economic crisis, regulated financial institutions were required to undergo stress tests, and hold back large capital amounts to ensure bank stability in the event of the next financial disaster. Arguably, COVID-19 has revealed that many U.S. and global companies were as fiscally unprepared for the 2020 pandemic as banks were in 2007, with many companies demonstrating some of the same indicia of instability, including over leveraging. With government assistance anticipated in the trillions, how will companies prepare for the next crisis, and what will be the effect of needed government relief—on cost of living, price of goods, and the future of work?