Professor Danny Quah: COVID-19 and the Economic and Geopolitical Ramifications

As the coronavirus pandemic expands, a restructuring of the global economy is taking place. With business activity almost at a standstill, the shock to the global economy is expected to be harder than the 2008 financial crisis. From the impact on globalisation to the diversification of global supply chains, COVID-19 is raising questions about the way business will be conducted.

The pandemic is also reshaping the international order as we know it. Several countries in Asia have won plaudits for their approaches at curbing the spread of COVID-19 thus far: Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan are among those that have successfully ‘flattened the curve’ with measures such as large-scale testing, rigorous contact tracing and social distancing. Meanwhile, countries in the West have struggled to get a handle on tackling the virus, as infections mount across the US and Europe. China, in a bid to restore its international reputation, has offered support to major powers, including France and Italy. More and more countries are looking to Asia for lessons on dealing with COVID-19, and the region could emerge from this crisis as a stronger player in defining the global agenda.

On 14 May, Professor Danny Quah, Dean and Li Ka Shing Professor in Economics at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, will speak to Asia House Corporate Members via video, providing a view from Singapore on the policy responses of countries in the region to the COVID-19 crisis. He will also share his insights on the economic and geopolitical ramifications of the pandemic.

Professor Quah regularly speaks on global power shifts and the rise of the East, alternative models of global power relations, income inequality and international economic relations. He was previously Assistant Professor of Economics at MIT, then Professor of Economics and International Development, and Director of the Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Centre at LSE. He served as LSE’s Head of Department for Economics, and Council Member on Malaysia’s National Economic Advisory Council.

This briefing is off-the-record and moderated remotely by Michael Lawrence, Chief Executive of Asia House. It is held exclusively for Asia House Corporate Members and is part of an ongoing series of Asia House digital events with senior officials as the world grapples with the coronavirus outbreak.

This briefing is exclusively for Asia House Corporate Members. For more information, please contact Edward Danks at Edward.danks@asiahouse.co.uk.