Page 76 - COVID-19: The Great Reset

applies. Inevitably and understandably, a “good” social contract for
China will be different from one for the US, which in turn will not

resemble that of Sweden or Nigeria. However, they could all share
some common features and principles, the absolute necessity of
which has been made ever-more obvious by the social and
economic consequences of the pandemic crisis. Two in particular

stand out:

1. A broader, if not universal, provision of social assistance,
social insurance, healthcare and basic quality services
2. A move towards enhanced protection for workers and for

those currently most vulnerable (like those employed in
and fuelling the gig economy in which full-time employees
are replaced by independent contractors and freelancers).

It is often said that a nation’s response to a disaster speaks
volumes about its strengths and dysfunctions, and first and

foremost about the “quality” and robustness of its social contract.
As we progressively move away from the most acute moments of
the crisis and begin a thorough examination of what went right
and what didn’t, we should expect a lot of soul-searching that will

ultimately lead to a redefinition of the terms of our social contract.
In countries that were perceived as providing a sub-par response
to the pandemic, many citizens will start asking critical questions
such as: Why is it that in the midst of the pandemic, my country

often lacked masks, respirators and ventilators? Why wasn’t it
properly prepared? Does it have to do with the obsession with
short-termism? Why are we so rich in GDP terms and so
ineffective at delivering good healthcare to all those who need it?

How can it be that a person who has spent more than 10 years’
training to become a medical doctor and whose end-of-year
“results” are measured in lives receives compensation that is
meagre compared to that of a trader or a hedge fund manager?

The COVID-19 crisis has laid bare the inadequate state of

most national health systems, both in terms of costs of lives of
patients and of nurses and doctors. In rich countries where tax-
funded health services have suffered for a long time from a lack of

resources (the UK National Health Service being the most

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