Sozialökologischer Umbau der Weltwirtschaft oder Handelskrieg mit anderen Mitteln?

Shortages of medical equipment and supply parts for industrial production during the Covid-19 crisis have triggered a discussion on the vulnerability of global production networks. The responses mostly focus on increasing the resilience of manufacturing through a “reshoring” of production, a diversification of supply chains, and the build-up of inventory. This article reveals that many interventions depart from erroneous assumptions on the structure of global manufacturing as the reasons for economic problems in the wake of Covid-19 are not mainly rooted in excessive dependence on foreign suppliers, but in the market-driven accumulation of risks through just-in-time production and overly complex supply chains. A response to such difficulties should be put in the context of a socio-ecological transformation of the economy that is necessary not only in order to make global production networks more resilient, but to enhance “societal resilience” against the challenges of climate change and increasing social inequality. An important component of a response to Covid-19 thus should consist of strengthening the “foundational economy”, i. e. goods and services related to housing, energy, water, health, education and care.