Abstract

The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is the most important challenge for the global economy in the third decade of the 21st century. The main strength of the contemporary world economy – including the intensification of globalization processes through growing economic ties, and the deepening process of interdependence between state and non-state actors – at the same time turned out to be its main weakness. The ease of international movement of people has led to a very fast transmission of the virus. As a result, most countries have taken radical steps to limit the spread of the pandemic by closing borders, but also by limiting the internal mobility of their citizens. The lockdown of entire economic sectors such as tourism and gastronomy posed an additional challenge to both developing and high-income countries, in addition to overburdening the healthcare system.

Currently we are expecting the fourth wave of the pandemic, and it is difficult to predict for how long the impact of covid-19 will be felt in the global, European and Polish economy. The aim of this thematic issue of Policy Horizons is - inevitably subjective and selective - an attempt to diagnose the current situation in selected sectors of the economy and economic activity at different levels of analysis: European (EU), Polish and regional. The authors will also attempt to assess the mid-term effects of the pandemic in the analyzed areas.