Published:

Coronavirus

Public health, the ‘new normal’ and the economy with guest speaker Sir Harry Burns

In this podcast, Emma Congreve is joined by Sir Harry Burns and Professor Graeme Roy. Sir Harry Burns is a Professor of Global Public Health at the University of Strathclyde, and previously was Chief Medical Officer for Scotland between 2005 and 2014. Sir Harry discusses the scale of the crisis, the implications for our economy and society, and how he thinks the country may unwind from the crisis. Professor Graeme Roy, the Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute, explains how the economy is being impacted by the crisis and what economic questions the crisis raises for the future.

 

 

Chair:

Emma Congreve, Economist at the Fraser of Allander Institute

Speakers:

Sir Harry Burns, Professor of Global Public Health at the University of Strathclyde
Professor Graeme Roy, Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute

Timestamps:

[0:00] Introduction [Emma]
[] What’s your take on how this crisis has unfolded? [Sir Harry]
[2:12] Is it uncommon to see this level of restrictions in pandemics?
[4:16] What will the damage be to the economy? [Graeme]
[9:09] This crisis will affect households differently. Are there health implications to shutting down the economy? What does this mean for inclusive growth? [Sir Harry]
[14:56] What economic questions does the crisis raise in the short, medium and long-term – for people, businesses, Government policy and international supply chains? [Graeme]
[21:32] What are the big questions you want policymakers to be asking for a new normal that has the interests of long term health and wellbeing at its core? [Sir Harry]
[26:50] Do you think one of the outcomes of this crisis might encourage a rethink of how Government policy works? [Sir Harry]
[29:12] Will we be moving to a new normal? [Graeme]

Authors

The Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI) is a leading economy research institute based in the Department of Economics at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.