Introduction: post-COVID transformations

Abstract

This article provides an introduction to the special issue on post-COVID transformations. We raise three sets of questions relating to the implications of the pandemic for the sustainability of the present global political and economic system and the extent to which that system may as a result be undergoing transformation. First, what is likely to be the impact of the pandemic on the current global order based on neoliberal hyperglobalization? Second, what insights do earlier pandemics along with other inter-related crises such as those of climate, inequality, social reproduction, and continued fallout of the global financial crisis offer for understanding the medium- to long-term implications of COVID-19. Finally, the special issue seeks to address the question of the extent to which the COVID pandemic may lead to progressive political transformations. We conclude with a summary of each of the individual contributions to this special issue.