• **Alt text:** A man in a dark suit and red tie stands behind a lectern with microphones, delivering a speech outside a black front door set in a brick government building. Iron railings flank the entrance, and an official crest is displayed on the front of the podium.

The Politics of Debt and Disease

Even before COVID-19, unprecedented levels of public and private borrowing placed debt at the centre of academic and public debates. If access to credit at this stage of the pandemic is crucial for keeping alive economies across the globe, the health crisis has further exacerbated our reliance on borrowing. Massive efforts are expected of states and central banks to support not only individual financial institutions but the financial system as a whole.