The 5 Stages of a Covid-19 Command and Control Economy

A reorganization of economic life will be needed to combat the pandemic

Photo by Martin Sanchez on Unsplash

“It is not easy for a free community to organize for war. We are not accustomed to listen to experts or prophets. Our strength lies in an ability to improvise. Yet an open mind to untried ideas is also necessary. No one can say when the end will come.”— John Maynard Keynes

Locking down the economy was intended to be a short-term measure to slow the spread of Covid-19 and prevent health resources from being overwhelmed. Yet the longer it carries on, the more it seems like a permanent measure. Depending on how long this virus lasts, we could be in a state of effective lockdown for a long time.

Fighting a deadly virus is much like fighting a war: politicians employ war-like language (‘metaphorical militarism’), communities pull together out of a sense of duty, and governments invoke emergency powers in the interest of public safety. Commercial enterprise is put on hold as everyone’s efforts are focused on supporting our men and women on the front lines, and the economy is reorganized to ensure civilian life can continue to function while the virus is kept at bay.

Make no mistake, we are at war, and our economy will need to adapt. Keynes, who offered Britain a…