The COVID-19 Crash
Stories about the economic fallout and ideas for the recovery
-
![]()
Alicia Tatone How the Coronavirus Could Create a New Working Class
Experts predict the outbreak will lead to a rise in populism. But will workers turn their rage toward corporate CEOs, or middle-class “elites”?
-
![]()
Galerie Bilderwelt / Getty Images The Pandemic’s Economic Lessons
The most important ones are those that give us a glimpse of debates we will face once the crisis is over.
-
-
![]()
Drew Angerer / Getty The Economy Is Collapsing. So Are Trump’s Reelection Chances.
This year’s projected headline numbers look dire for the president.
-
![]()
Simoul Alva The Four Rules of Pandemic Economics
A playbook that should govern America’s short-term reaction to the health crisis.
-
![]()
Getty images / The Atlantic We Need to Start Tossing Money Out of Helicopters
It’s the best option in such extreme circumstances.
-
![]()
Listen: Will $2 Trillion Be Enough?
Today, Congress passed the biggest stimulus package in history. It might not be the end of the government’s pandemic response.
-
![]()
Craig F. Walker / The Boston Globe / … ‘The Fact That I Can’t Fix Things Now Is Breaking My Heart’
In the restaurant industry, how to get cash to out-of-work servers—and food to gig workers suddenly without income—is the question on everyone’s mind.
-
-
![]()
Carol M. Highsmith / Library of Congress / … When Middle-Class Values Determine What’s Essential
Poor people suffer when the definition of a “life sustaining” service ignores their needs.
-
![]()
Katie Martin / The Atlantic America’s Weak Property Rights Are Harming Those Most in Need
Poor people are more likely to see their homes and belongings seized by the state for dubious reasons.
-
![]()
Peter Cziborra / Action Images / Reuters ‘Do More—Fast. Don’t Wait.’
Denmark, which is basically freezing its economy, has a message for America.
-
![]()
Aleksandar Dickov / Shutterstock / Paul Spella / … Where Is the Government?
Many businesses are already insolvent, have already shut down, have already lost their employees.
-
![]()
Russell Boyce / Reuters We Need a Hard Pause, Followed by a Soft Start
Policy makers need to start planning for a careful and gradual return to normalcy.
-
-
![]()
Lucas Jackson / Reuters Here’s a Rescue Plan That Puts People First
I lead a union that represents 50,000 flight attendants across 20 airlines—and we can help them, and rein in the worst corporate behavior in the process.
-
![]()
H. Armstrong Roberts / Getty / The Atlantic Denmark’s Idea Could Help the World Avoid a Great Depression
“We are freezing the economy.”
-
![]()
Gerald Herbert / AP The Economic Devastation Is Going to Be Worse Than You Think
The coronavirus’s overwhelming toll on jobs and businesses has only just begun.
-
![]()
Jonathan Ernst / Reuters An Invitation to Corruption
As long as lawmakers are allowed to trade individual stocks, disaster profiteering is always a risk.
-
![]()
Drew Angerer / Getty This Is Not a Recession. It’s an Ice Age.
No one alive has experienced an economic plunge this sudden.
-
-
![]()
Spencer Platt/Getty The Coronavirus Will Be a Catastrophe for the Poor
This pandemic will be especially punishing for low-income workers, just as they were starting to reverse a generation of widening inequality.
-
![]()
The Atlantic How to Solve the Fixed-Costs Crisis
If the government is asking businesses to shut down, it should compensate them for the fixed costs they incur while they’re closed.
-
![]()
Patrick Semansky / AP The Coming Bailout Is a Moral Failure
Congress has leverage to rebalance the economy, but so far, it isn’t using it.
