Economy and Coronavirus


COVID – 19 has not only affected the asset prices and stock market but real lives and day to day activity. Stock markets have crashed earlier too but this time the situation is very different as there is no manipulation or speculations but a global pandemic.

We can be in a position of recession in coming years. There is no production of goods, there is a forced stop for all production activity, not only within the country but supply of goods from outside the country too.

Everything is so interdependent in the economy. Like if a restaurant is ordered to shut down there will be no demand of green grocer items, unutilized manpower. The owner has to pay their fixed expenses (rent, power, salary etc) but no income in the hands of green grocer and manforce.There is no revenue but expenditure.

A consumer now is spending on essential commodities and there will be a huge fall in the demand of non-essential commodities in the market(affecting its production and revenue generation to economy).

Due to this drop of demand and supply in the economy there is less movement of money in the economy. This lack of economic activity and thereby less money in the economy is going to hit everyone.This story plays across the sectors, across the economy and across the world.The coming days are crucial in terms of dealing with this pandemic and its economic impact.

Both the Monetary and Fiscal policy support will be required to face the tough situation.

Coronavirus – At a glance


The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the new corona virus outbreak which originated in Wuhan (China) as a global pandemic. This virus has spread in almost 210 counties of the world wide. The worst affected countries are China, Italy, USA, Spain and many more in the list.

Symptoms ranged from people with mild symptoms to people being severely ill and dying. It include fever, cough, shortness of breath i.e. flu like symptoms.

The incubation period of COVID-19 is between 1 and 14 days. In some patients particularly elders and other with some chronic health conditions, symptoms can develop into pneumonia, chest pain and shortness of breath which leads to respiratory or multi organ failure.

If we study the mortality rate about 2% reported cases the virus is fatal in which ratio of older people are more and relatively less cases are seen in children.

COVID – 19 spread from person to person in close proximity. Droplets of bodily fluids like saliva or mucus from an infected person are dispersed in the air or on surfaces while coughing or sneezing. And if other people come in direct contact or touch the infected surface and then their face, the virus gets transmitted to that person too.

So important precautions includes :

1. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or using alcohol based hand rub as it kills the virus that may be on our hands.

2. Most and very important maintain Social distance, maintain at least 1metre distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.

3. Avoid touching eyes, nose, mouth, as virus can enter your body and make you sick.

4. Practice respiratory hygiene, this means covering your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue paper when you cough or sneeze and then dispose the used tissue immediately.

5. If you have fever, cough and difficulty in breathing seek medical advice; do not take any medicine on your own.

Globalization – As a boon

Many thinkers believe that globalization is a threat as it reduces the role of the state in many countries. Some counter argue that it is an opportunity as it opens up markets to compete in and capture.

Let’s see what good globalization has done for us :

Creating employment opportunities : As globalization has brought every country to a competitive world, so it has led to the generation of numerous employment opportunities. Many companies are moving towards developing countries for labour force. Also as migration of people is now easier it has also created lots of jobs opportunities for those countries who has labour force shortages (generally developed countries). Also if a country is experiencing high unemployment there are increased opportunities to look for work elsewhere. This too reduces geographical inequality.However, this issue (brain drain) is also quite controversial.

Spread of Education : The most important benefit is the spread of education. There are so many educational institution around the world, one can move out from his country to another country for more better opportunities, integrating with different cultures, meeting and learning from various people through medium of education.

Better quality product at cheaper price : due to increase in international trade, intense competition in the market is seen. Lots of products with plenty of option, having different price range to choose for consumers. To stand out in competition, product quality has been enhanced so as to retain the consumers, low or poor quality products adversely affect consumers satisfaction.
Since there are lot of choices available for consumers, the producer can sustain only when the product is competitively priced. Anytime consumer can switch to another product. Therefore, affordable pricing has benefited the consumer in great way.

Increased Capital Flow : Globalization has successfully attracted a lot of firms investing in the developing countries by setting up industrial unit outside their home country leading to huge Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), which helps in promoting economic growth in the host country. Also due to electronic transfer, transferring money through banks is just the  click of a button, making work really comfortable for investors.

Improved Infrastructure : This is only due to globalization that many infrastructure facilities relating to transportation is so easy. Connectivity to any part of the world is no more a problem, with various mode of transportation available one can easily deliver the products to customers located to any part of the world. Also circulation of information is no longer a difficult task, it just requires few seconds, due to advancement in communication technology. The internet service has significantly affected the global economy, providing directing access to information and products.

Economic Growth : As due to wide growth of market, we see an increase in demand for various products. As per the demand, producers are venturing into the markets that are on high demand, leading to rise in GDP of the country thereby economic growth. If we see the statistics the GDP of the developing countries has increased twice as much as before.

International Trade : The horizon of international trade has widened, it is not just sale and purchase of commodities. With the process of outsourcing international trade has broadened his horizon. Know the focus can be made on a particular segment of business and certain services can be outsourced. Also flexible EXIM (Export Import Policy) policies, with minimal restriction is proving beneficial to businesses.

Specialized production : Production now days is increasingly specialized. Globalization enables goods to be produced in different parts of the world. For say, my phone whose body was manufactured in Taiwan, assembled in China, its software developed in the USA and sold to me by a retail store in India. This greater specialization enables lower average costs and lower prices for consumers.

Examples Of Globalization

Globalization as a process increase the movement of people, culture, technology, ideologies and information across the world. From the song we hear to many of the popular movies and novels, fashion, technology emigrate from one country to another.

The list can go on forever.Tried listing some of these below.
  • Mc Donald’s – by the method of franchising they expand their business not only in their country but also overseas.
  • Kentucky Fried Chicken(KFC) founded by colonel, is one of the top most food chain in the world.
  • Ebay/ Amazon(E commerce companies) – Flow of goods and services, they are not only cheap and fast, but reliable and secure. You can order anything you wish from every part of the world.
  • Smart phones, TVs, cars, laptops or computers, ipads, all smart devices.
  • Social networking sites like facebook, Goggle, Whatsapp etc.
  • Music, fast foods, fashion trends, sports, movies, books.
  • Study tutorials- you just need an internet connection and any smart device (computer, laptop or phone) and by sitting in one country you can chat, learn or study from a person sitting in another country. Take live study lessons relating to any subjects, sports or games are another great example of globalization.
Our lives are so deeply influenced by the globalised economy that often we do not even recognize it. It is happening so fast, so it’s difficult for our brain to catch up.Its sometimes sad, that local identities and cultures are slowly disappearing , and now it’s difficult to bring back old good times.

Types Of Globalization

Globalization is a social, cultural, political and economic phenomenon.

Socially and culturally it provides opportunities to greater interaction among various population worldwide. It represents the exchange of ideas, values among cultures. Advancement in internet services and social media has a great role in this.
Good example, in this could include internationally popular films, books and T.V series etc. The Harry Potter film and books have been successful all over the world, making the character famous globally. Though social globalization is often criticized for eroding cultural differences.

Political Globalization means political co operation that is present between different countries. Global organization such as (World Trade Organization), United Nations (UN) and more regional organization such as European Union (EU) have helped to increase the degree of political globalization.

Economic Globalization refers to the integration of world economies through trade and the exchange of resources. As no economy works in isolation which clearly means one country economies influence each other. In terms of economic globalization it is seen that more developed countries sell their technology to countries which lack these (generally developing countries) and natural resources from developing countries are sold to the developed countries. It turns out to be a Two – way structure for technologies and resources.

We can say that Globalization is an unavoidable phenomenon in the history of mankind due to which economies are getting smaller and smaller by increasing the exchange of goods and services, information knowledge and cultures between different countries.

This process of interaction and integration has changed a lot in our everyday lives and is still progressing.This multidimensional and contradictory process brings to life the hopes and achievement that life can bring to it.

There is a run for greater competition, one of the main objective of globalization and this is only possible with market liberalization, economic integration and technology development.