Amid the global crisis, food insecurity and malnutrition persist. Immunization coverage has dropped and death rates from TB and malaria are rising. Millions of people have lost their jobs or are fearful for their futures, and the most vulnerable countries and populations suffer disproportionately. Inflation and energy prices are rising, and supply chains remain disrupted. Debt is mounting, and economic growth has stalled. Women continue to be disproportionately impacted, with increased care work in the home and loss of income due to COVID-19-related job losses.
With the right policies, governments can help their citizens weather a global crisis. In particular, domestic policy interventions that are designed to revive growth, restore confidence and ensure financial stability will be critical for avoiding the risk of further recession and pressures for protectionism.
In the face of global crises, individual perceptions about the desirability of international institutions can be influenced by their national context and the extent to which they believe that the crisis was caused or made worse by their actions (Cottle 2011). For locally confined crises, individuals generally perceive national institutions as both responsible for the crisis and capable of handling it. For global crises, which have deterritorialized reach and a non-locally specified origin, however, individuals are more likely to attribute causal attributions of blame on the basis of controllability.
These global crises have prompted people to question the value of the international system. Some have embraced the notion that the world is more connected than ever before, while others are voicing concerns about over-reliance on international institutions.
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