post-pandemic recovery

Abstract image of the world.

Living Beyond Borders Podcasts

Episode 1: Should I STILL be worried?

Listen: “The equivalent of what we spent in World War II was spent in the course of a year and a half to support the US economy, and that had global impacts. All of that was rolled out with incredible speed and effectiveness, [but] the hangover effects from that are very, very significant,” said David Bailin, Chief Investment Officer and Global Head of Investments at Citi Global Wealth. Years into a global pandemic and one year into an unexpected war in Ukraine, the stability of the world's economy - and political balance - remains in question.

Explaining inflation & what's next for the US economy

GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

Explaining inflation & what's next for the US economy

US inflation is now at a 40-year high. So, what can we do about it? The Federal Reserve is trying to cool down the overheated economy by raising interest rates. But if the Fed goes too far, the rate hikes could trigger a recession that'll hit low-income Americans hardest. On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer speaks to economist and University of Chicago professor Austan Goolsbee, who says the recipe to fixing inflation depends on whether you see it as a demand or supply problem.

After COVID, Belgian small business began to bloom

After COVID, Belgian small business began to bloom

Isabelle Nijs runs a hair salon in Begijnendijk, Belgium, about an hour’s drive to the northeast of Brussels. Nijs struggled to keep her business going through the pandemic during lockdowns and the lack of customers that brought. Rents and insurance premiums continued going up, but she didn’t get any financial support to meet the rising costs. Now, with people coming out of COVID restrictions, her business has begun to bloom … only to be impacted yet again, this time by the war in Ukraine. Now, she’s also dealing with supply chain issues, with prices going up and quality going down, not to mention long wait times.

Waiting for foot traffic to return in Tokyo

Waiting for foot traffic to return in Tokyo

Shizuka Takahashi wants Tokyo’s foot traffic to return. Having face-to-face interactions with her customers means everything to her — in fact, the desire to interact with people is why she opened her Tokyo shop, PuRe Juice Bar. She got the idea while living in New York City, where people know and love smoothies. In Tokyo, however, the juice culture is less common. Takahashi opened in 2019 only to be hit by reduced sales as a result of COVID-19. By learning to market herself throughout the pandemic, and with government aid, she’s been able to keep her company afloat. Now she’s looking forward to helping her Japanese customers get hooked on healthy juice drinks.

COVID's lessons on humanity for Annabelle Santos, small business owner

COVID's lessons on humanity for Annabelle Santos, small business owner

Inspiration struck Annabelle Santos when she struggled to find any products that could help soothe her baby girl’s eczema. Now she brings her mixtures of fruits, olive oils, and herbs to customers through her company, Spadét, which she founded in 2014. The pandemic was really tough on her business, but grants helped her keep afloat, and she’s looking forward to meeting with and healing customers now that restrictions have lifted.

2021: Groundhog Day in a G-Zero world

2021: Groundhog Day in a G-Zero world

Did 2021 actually happen, or are we still stuck in 2020? In many ways it feels like a year of dashed hopes. Let’s have a look back at what did, and did not happen in 2021.